the auction MG style
by greenmangoes
Summary: what if Lei & Ximen were auctioned off at a charity event? COMPLETED - rating is set so just to be safe. pls R
1. prologueten years after

A/N: Anything you recognize from MG, I do not own.  
  
Prologue: ten years after  
  
It's been 10 years since F4 had been to Ying De.   
  
Ah Si had long since taken over the Dao Ming empire. Many people had thought that he would forever shun the power and money that came with being the heir apparent to Taiwan's largest conglomerate after he'd chosen to be with Shan Cai over his mother's objections. But his father's death five years ago had changed everything. He'd left the whole company, lock, stock & barrel to his only son. Dao Ming Feng had been left with a dummy title and was forced to accept whatever her son had decreed. This included the acceptance of Shan Cai (who had her own travel & tours company) into the family.   
  
Mei Zhou had made his own fortune away from the family business. He'd never been one to sit in a stuffy office and so had thought to venture out on his own in the world of entertainment. His company has since become one of the most successful record labels in Asia and was rapidly making its bid into the international music industry. One of his company's main talents is his wife of 8 years, the renowned cello player Ling Xiaoqiao.  
  
Lei had gone on to become one of Taiwan's premier violinists. His first stint had been a charity concert in Japan, just months after Ah Si and Shan Cai had gotten back together following the former's recovery from amnesia. His performance had been critically acclaimed. He later credited this to his unrequited love for Shan Cai, to whom he'd dedicated (much to Ah Si's chagrin) his first album, which he'd recorded under Mei Zhou's label. In the years that followed his 'overnight' success, he'd grown reclusive and only deigned to come out of hiding for performances (usually benefit concerts) and for get-togethers with his friends. His love for Shan Cai had eventually mellowed into deep friendship (much to Ah Si's delight) and he was even the godfather of the couple's second child (who had been named after him).   
  
Ximen, the playboy renowned for having a one-week-expiry-date for women, had gone on to become one of Taiwan's (along with Ah Si & Mei Zhou) top businessmen. In the first two years since he'd taken over from his father, Ximen Corp. had grown into a multi-billion conglomerate with interests in telecommunications, electronics and biomedical firms, both in Taiwan and abroad. His most recent coup had been the acquisition of Chinese-Canadian biotechnology firm, Mosaic Corp.* His love life had been the subject of much speculation as he continued to be seen in public with different women. There had been talks that like Lei, he too may have suffered from a failed romance in his past, hence his lack of attachment of the permanent kind, but he would only respond with a smile whenever asked to confirm or deny such rumors. Only his friends know the truth and they too are not talking.  
  
And so it was that the men known as Flower Four had returned to Ying De, ten years after they'd left it for good, for a special fund-raising event being held to benefit the scholarship program that Shan Cai had established over a year before.  
  
Ah Si had sprung for the formal dinner that had been pegged at $5,000 per plate. Mei Zhou had provided the musical entertainment for the night, including a special performance with Xiaoqiao.  
  
As for Ximen and Lei, well...their contribution far exceeded those of the three.   
  
Welcome one and all to Ying De University's first ever 'Alumni Bachelor Auction,' where the highest bidders get to spend a whole week with the school's most prominent bachelor alumni.   
  
***   
  
A/N: *I couldn't think of a company so if there's actually one by the same name, no infringement was intended. 


	2. going, going

Chapter 1: going, going.  
  
Shan Cai had outdone herself. The fund-raising party she'd organized to benefit the scholarship program she'd started the year before was in full swing. Everyone was waiting eagerly for the night's main event.  
  
The Bachelor Auction.  
  
Ximen and Lei looked at each other apprehensively. Both were silently questioning their sanities for having allowed Shan Cai to talk them into participating in the auction. It had seemed simple to them. One week off their lives to help raise money so that deserving students can continue with their college education. No sweat.  
  
"Did you know that it was going to be a silent auction?" Lei asked idly as they waited for their turn on the stage.  
  
"Do you honestly think I'd have agreed if I'd known?" Ximen sighed. He'd thought it would be just a regular auction, where people bid out loud. He'd arranged for his secretary to hire a girl to pose as one of the bidders with instructions to outbid anyone remotely matronly who showed an interest in acquiring his services. As it was, he could only hope that the bid his secretary had entered would be the highest one in the lot.  
  
"I'm worried that I might be won by one of my rabid fans. Do you know that some of them send me stuff that I've no idea what to do with?" Lei shuddered as he recalled what those things were.  
  
"What kinds of stuff?" Ximen asked, intrigued.  
  
"Lingerie, underwear." Lei began and at Ximen's look of amusement, continued, ".used!"  
  
"Ugh." Ximen groaned in distaste.  
  
"And one even sent me a solid-gold wedding band, asking me to marry her." Lei shook his head in disbelief.  
  
Ximen laughed at his friend's expression. "Well, what if I get bought by one of my old mei meis? And what if she turns out to be one who holds grudges? The next week of my life would be hell." he grimaced.  
  
"Hahaha! And she'd dump you after the week, kind of like poetic justice." Lei teased.  
  
Ximen was about to respond when he heard Lei's name being called. "Well, bro.it's your turn to take a bow now. Good luck!"  
  
"Same to you." Lei answered as he squared his shoulders and prepared to go out. "Well, here goes nothing."  
  
***  
  
A/N: I do not own any of the MG characters. 


	3. sold!

Chapter 2: ...sold!  
  
Ximen had never been so humiliated! It seemed that hell really hath no fury like a woman scorned! In his case though, it had been 'women' scorned. All his mei meis had contrived to teach him a lesson by not making a single bid at all! Only one person bid on him...and at a measly sum of $2. Two f**cking dollars! His secretary had apologized quite profusely for not arriving on time to make a bid, which would have at least helped Ximen save face as he'd been given the liberty to bid as much as $20,000 out of the playboy bachelor's own account.  
  
Ximen had thought he'd be the one who'd rake in the highest bid of the evening given that he was the last one to be auctioned off. As it was, he'd become the laughing stock instead. Even Qing He, son of the sudden rich, had gotten a higher bid than him. It had taken every effort to joke with the emcee after being told how much he'd been sold for. He smiled until his jaw ached because he'd seen quite a number of representatives from the press and he didn't want to look like a spoilsport although he'd been sure that he would be the subject of many a columnist's editorial the following day. He'd wondered who the 'lucky' girl was though. Her refusal to come onstage had added insult to injury and many wondered if maybe she looked so hideous that she'd been ashamed to be seen in public. Even his friends had laughed themselves silly at his expense. He sighed as he again read the card he'd received early morning the following day.  
  
"Ximen, My week with you officially starts at breakfast today.  
  
Be at the marina by 8AM sharp.  
  
Wear something casual and comfortable.  
  
Oh, and bring an extra change of clothes.  
  
You'll know where to meet me once you get there. ^_^"  
  
He didn't know whether to be intrigued or insulted. He'd been standing on the marina for the last 10 minutes and contrary to the note, he had yet to find out where to proceed. He felt a little foolish holding an overnight bag (where his change of clothes were) and the note. He was sure someone was filming him at this very moment as he looked quite lost. As per instruction, he was wearing jeans and a plain white shirt, paired off with sneakers. He'd tied his hair back because of the wind and thought it best to wear his prescription glasses with its clip-on shades instead of his contact lenses (he was afraid he might lose them if he and his mystery lady spent the day on the water). Someone tapped him on the back and he turned to see who it was.  
  
"Hello Ximen."  
  
***  
  
Lei didn't know what to think. Like Ximen, the person who'd won him also didn't meet him onstage, but he was spared being made the laughing stock because he'd gotten the highest bid during the auction. He only wished that whoever she was, she wasn't a loony. He didn't think he'd survive a week if she turned out to be the stalker type. He looked at his watch again. He was supposed to meet her for breakfast at this restaurant but she was late. Very late. He hated people who were late, which was an oxymoron as it were because he was the one who was perpetually late for any get-togethers with his friends. He also hated the fact that he'd had to cut his sleep short for this and she hadn't even bothered to show up on time.  
  
He looked at his watch again as he felt his stomach grumble. He hadn't eaten since the night before and he was really hungry. He was so hungry even the century egg that the guy on the next table was eating had started to look quite appetizing to him (and he hated the thing with a passion). He was looking at the menu quite longingly when she finally came.  
  
"Hi Lei."  
  
*** 


	4. who could it be now?

A/N: anything you recognize from Meteor Garden I do not own. =)  
Oh & the next chapter will be rated R so to those who are reading this  
(silent or not), next time you check, click 'all' for  
rating =)  
And thanks to all who reviewed.  
  
Chapter 3: who could it be now?  
  
"You?" Ximen's voice came out in a croak as he looked down at his 'buyer' in frozen shock.  
  
"Why look so shocked? Were you expecting someone else?"  
  
***  
  
"You?" Lei's voice came out in a croak as he looked up at his 'buyer' in frozen shock.  
  
"Why look so shocked? Were you expecting someone else?"  
  
*** "Hey Ah Si.did you manage to get Shan Cai to tell you who'd bought Lei and Ximen?" Mei Zhou had called as soon as he woke up, quite curious about the mysterious buyers of the night before.  
  
Ah Si groaned at being woken up for such a query. "Mei Zhou!" he muttered exasperatedly.  
  
"Come on.tell me. Xiaoqiao's ready to pitch me over the side of the bed because I'd kept her awake with my incessant curiosity. Please." Mei Zhou begged.  
  
The truth was Ah Si had no answer to that. He too, had barely had sleep last night thinking about the identities of their friends' buyers. Shan Cai had just kept on looking at him pointedly and remained mum about the whole thing. It had annoyed him to no end.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
***  
  
"How are you?" Ximen finally recovered from his shock.  
  
"As you can see I'm doing quite alright." She answered with a smile.  
  
Ximen realized she was telling the truth. She looked beautiful. Even more beautiful than she looked the last time they'd seen each other. The tank top and shorts she was wearing also showed him curves that he'd thought he'd only get to see again in his imagination. He would have complimented her but he knew she wouldn't believe it so he didn't bother.  
  
"Come on. The boat is waiting." She told him as she started walking towards one of the houseboats moored along the marina.  
  
Ximen was surprised. "You own this?" he couldn't help but ask when she had him hop aboard a luxurious houseboat.  
  
"Why so surprised? You don't think I could afford one?" she asked as she bent from the waist up to unhook the boat's moorings from the dock.  
  
He flushed at her rebuke. "I didn't mean it like that you know. I was just." Actually Ximen didn't know what he'd meant. His brain seemed to have gone on vacation the minute he was afforded a tantalizing view of her backside and bare legs when she bent the way she did.  
  
"Forget it Ximen. Just make yourself useful by helping me with this." she told him as she finally stood up straight and threw the rope at him.  
  
He flushed anew at having to be told to help. He should have been the one who did that. He caught the rope and nearly had a heart attack when she proceeded to jump from the dock onto the boat without so much as a warning to him.  
  
He didn't know which of them was more surprised when he moved quickly to catch her. He supposed he did that because he'd feared that she'd break her bones or something. But she didn't. Break her bones, that is, because he'd broken her fall and they'd ended up in a tangle on the floor of the boat with her on top of him and his arms wrapped around her waist. Of course he should have let her go as soon as he realized she was okay. But then he found himself liking the feel of her body pressed against his and had unconsciously prolonged the contact.  
  
One look at her shocked expression made him realize that he'd been holding her far too close for comfort. Far too close.well, for him at any rate because his body, after years of feeling like death warmed over, had chosen that very moment to suddenly come alive.  
  
***  
  
Lei hid the horror he felt at seeing who his buyer was. His worst fears had been confirmed!  
  
A crazy woman had bought him! That was the only explanation he could think of for the way she was garbed.  
  
"Is something wrong?" she asked in an innocent-sounding voice as she took a seat opposite him.  
  
"Uhm.nothing." He started to say, because after all, his mother had raised him to be a polite little boy, but then he couldn't help but add, "What's with the black veil?" because his mother had also raised a very curious and inquisitive boy. Her heartfelt laughter washed over Lei like a soothing melody and he couldn't help but feel surprised at his reaction. He found his feelings of dismay slowly turning into intrigue. Why was she wearing a black veil?  
  
"I prefer to keep my identity a secret for now." She answered candidly. "Don't worry, I do not have any contagious disease nor is my face disfigured," she was quick to assure him when he gave her a doubtful look.  
  
"Why?" His question was double edged. He was asking her why she wanted to keep her identity a secret and he was also asking himself why she was suddenly starting to feel quite familiar because her voice certainly wasn't.  
  
"Because." was her only answer.  
  
Quite cryptic but then even he couldn't answer his own question. "Do you mind if we order now?" he asked. He was really very hungry.  
  
"Sure." 


	5. voulez vous coucher avec moi?

**A/N: Anything you recognize from MG, I do not own.**

**Chapter 5: voulez-vous coucher avec moi?**

Ximen didn't know what to do. While a part of him rejoiced that he hadn't turned into a damned eunuch after all, another part of him feared its implications. Because the last time he'd felt like this, was that fateful night six years ago when she'd come back to Taiwan and spent the night with him. Had he known he wouldn't be able to feel again after that night, maybe he wouldn't have been so quick to do what he'd done. 

But she'd been irresistible that night. 

Flashback -- 

"What are we doing?" Ximen asked as they found themselves in his flat in downtown Taipei, just a couple of blocks away from Shan Cai and Dao Ming Si's wedding reception. He, along with Lei and Mei Zhou, had been one of the best men. 

"I would have thought it was obvious." Xiao You muttered as she pulled his head back towards her. She'd just come from Toronto to be her best friend's maid of honor. 

"Shan Cai…" he mumbled just before he kissed her again, intending to warn her about the consequences of their actions. 

"…had just left with Ah Si before we made our exit," she finished as she returned his passion by pressing him against the just-closed front door. 

"Xiao You, I…" he'd wanted to tell her he thought they should take things slower. He'd missed her in the last 3 years she'd been in Canada. He hadn't realized just how much until he'd seen her walk down the aisle, wearing one of the sexiest maid of honor dresses he'd ever seen in his life. But he couldn't stop his right hand from molding her body against his, nor his left one from searching for the zipper of the sheath dress she was wearing. 

"Shhh…" she whispered to his lips as she too got busy pulling at his cummerbund. His bowtie had long since been discarded, just as the top three buttons of his dress shirt had been popped open. 

Ximen couldn't think. When he'd gone up to her during the reception, he had only meant to tease her with his comment about asking her to become his girlfriend for the week. He thought she would laugh at him and they would reminisce about her infatuation with him years before. But she'd surprised him by agreeing so readily. He'd been too shocked by her response that he hadn't been able to stop her from giving him a playful kiss. A playful kiss that was supposed to be over as quickly as it had begun but had unwittingly turned into one of those intensely long ones. A kiss like no other kiss he'd ever experienced in all the years before. A kiss that had had them hurrying away from the reception and making their way to this very flat. 

He supposed he would have been able to recover his wits if they'd just continued giving each other playful kisses, but then she'd stepped away from him and before he could even ask her why, her dress lay in a pool on her waist. He nearly swallowed his tongue when he realized just how little she was actually wearing under the dress. She looked breathtakingly beautiful with her torso covered only by her long locks and her lower body hidden by the dress. She crooked her finger at him and like a dog being called by its master, he could only follow as she made her way into his bedroom. 

By the time they were standing by the bed, her dress had lain in a heap by the bedroom door as was his shirt and pants. Her heels and his shoes were left somewhere in the living room. The cummerbund…who knew where? 

They stared at each other for a moment, him taking in her figure in just barely-there high cut satin VS undies and her taking in his manly figure wearing only boxers. He then looked into her eyes intently, asking without words if she was sure. She answered by stepping closer to him, until only an inch separated their bodies, and slowly running her fingers from his chest towards his backside and then sliding them inside the waistband of his boxers so she could push it downwards and off him. 

The fragile hold Ximen had of his control finally snapped at the feel of her tongue tracing a path down his chest towards his tummy and he found himself tangling the fingers of his left hand into her hair and pulling her up for another one of those slow drugging kisses while he lifted her up with his right arm so he could lay her down onto the waiting bed… 

…  
  


… 

Xiao You's sudden move to push herself off him brought Ximen back to the present. 

"You shouldn't have done that!" she said as she stood up and turned her back on him. 

He could only look at her back helplessly before answering, "You could have broken your bones," stiffly as he sat up. 

"We wouldn't have ended on the floor if you hadn't moved to catch me. Although I rented this one, jumping in and out of boats is nothing new to me as I own one just like this in Canada." she retorted as she moved to start the boat. 

Ximen didn't answer. He didn't want to argue about something that had already happened. So he just stood up and walked towards her. She didn't seem to be all that bothered about that brief contact so he pretended that it hadn't mattered to him too. "So what now?" 

She deftly maneuvered the boat off the jetty and only when they were well out into the open water did she fish for a scrap of paper from her back pocket and gave it to him. "Here…" she said as she dropped anchor. 

"What's this?" he asked, but she'd already moved away from him to walk towards the boat's living quarters. He stared at the paper that she'd handed him. On it was written a schedule. It was a schedule of their activities for the whole week. His eyes nearly popped out of its sockets when he saw what she had written down for Day 5. 

"Are you serious?" his voice came out hoarsely as he chased after her. 

"Do you see me laughing Ximen?" she asked seriously as she whirled around to face him. They were now inside the boat's living quarters. 

"But…" he looked down at the paper again. Written, very neatly as you please, were the following: 

Day 1 : date (sailing all day, some fishing & swimming)  
Day 2 : kiss (preferably after a fancy dinner, slow-dancing & fireworks display show)  
Day 3 : hug (preferably after/during star-gazing on the rooftop of a building)  
Day 4 : make-out session (in front of the television after watching a romantic movie)  
Day 5 : s*x (preferably under the stars by the beach)  
Day 6 : more s*x (open to suggestions)  
Day 7 : your choice of activity 

"You don't think it's feasible?" she adopted a pensive look. 

On the contrary, Ximen thought it highly feasible, given his state after that all-too-brief contact he'd had with her. "Why are you doing this?" 

"Because I want the week you promised me that night." She answered simply, as though they were discussing the weather. 

"You still remember?" Ximen was surprised. He'd thought she'd have forgotten by now. After all, it was she who had chosen to stay away. 

"Would I be here if I'd forgotten?" 

Ximen thought long and hard before he said anything. Finally, "You were the one who chose to leave," he answered. 

She didn't say anything for several minutes. She just looked at him without any hint of emotion on her face. "I had to." 

"Why?" he needed to know. "After that night…why did you leave me?" He'd woken up all alone with only the imprint of her head on the pillow next to him telling him he hadn't dreamt the whole thing. 

"Because that's what you wanted." 

"How do you know what I'd wanted? Were you me? Are you a mind-reader by any chance?" All the anger and hurt he'd thought he'd gotten over years before suddenly came out. 

She looked at him without flinching. "You knew where to find me, why didn't you come after me?" 

Ximen had no answer to that. Why hadn't he tried to go after her? "Why did you bid for me?" he asked instead. 

She shrugged. "I never thought I'd win. I only made a bid because Shan Cai kept nagging me to make one. Who wins with a $2 bid after all?" 

"So why make this schedule?" he didn't want to accept her answer. He had no clue why. 

"Because I'm not one to look at gift horses in the mouth and because I've always wondered how it felt like to live out your lifestyle. Call it curiosity if you will." 

"So you plan to wine, dine & bed me for this week and then leave, is that it?" his tone had hardened upon hearing her answer. 

"Why act like it's a big deal? You do it often enough. Why can't I have the same privilege?" 

Ximen hadn't expected to get hurt by her words. But he had. "You chose to forgo that privilege when you left six years ago." He reminded her. 

"So I changed my mind. It's a girl's prerogative after all." 

Her reasonable tone annoyed the hell out of him. "So why bother scheduling the s*x on the fifth day then? It's not like we haven't done it before," he knew he was being offensive. 

"Don't be crude!" her temper matched his. 

"It's a perfectly legitimate question. I don't see any reason why we have to wait…" he knew she thought he said those things to show her he didn't care one way or another. That she was just a body to him and that she didn't even merit any wooing. But the truth was, she mattered. Too damned much. 

Her eyes flashed at him for a moment, but then she turned away from him and answered, 

"Okay," without any inflection in her voice. 

"Okay?" he asked in confusion. He'd expected her to get angry…to be insulted. Heck he was even prepared for a slap from her. 

She turned towards him again and snatched the paper off his hands. She then tore it into several pieces and threw them over her shoulders. "No more schedule. We have s*x when we want it, where we want it. Agreed?" 

Ximen couldn't find his tongue. What had happened to the old Xiao You? 

"Don't look so shocked Ximen." She mocked him. "Let me see…" she pretended to think about it, "52 weeks in a year, multiplied by 10, that would roughly be 520 women in the last decade alone. Surely at least one of them must have asked you for mindless s*x before?"   
  
He knew he deserved whatever she threw at him. It was his fault after all. He'd made everyone believe that he'd continued on with his one-week-expiry-date policy all these years. He'd continued to cultivate that image because it had helped dull the pain she'd wrought when she left him. He'd thought that maybe, just maybe, if people believed he was still the same playboy Ximen he'd been all those years before, then he'd be whole again. They hadn't known that he'd never taken another woman to his bed again since that one night with her. None of his mei meis had talked because they hadn't wanted to be known as the one who'd never been to his bed. It was pretty funny actually how vain some women could be. 

"Now who's being crude?" he answered her coldly. It seemed that they've both reached an impasse. She wasn't willing to talk about that night. So neither would he. 

She looked at him for a long while. Searching for something in his eyes, he knew not what. Just when he thought she'd back down and change her mind about the whole thing, she spoke. 

"Well, then. Now that we've gotten all that out of the way, maybe we can go and have ourselves some fun?" she smiled at him playfully. 

He was stunned at her sudden change of mood. But because she'd smiled at him, Ximen found himself smiling back. Somehow it didn't matter anymore what her reasons were for coming back to claim her week. Why cut off his nose to spite his face? Hadn't he wondered all these years if the memory of that night had been as good as he'd remembered? Hadn't he wished he'd gone after her and demanded more of the same from her? 

The truth was, he was glad she'd bought him. For a week, for a day it didn't matter. All that mattered was hoarding these precious moments with her and he vowed to enjoy every hour he'd get to spend with her. 

After all, he'd had six years to realize one thing. 

Maybe if he got lucky, it would take only this week to get her to realize the same thing too. 

***


	6. lei your hands on me

**A/N: Anything you recognize from MG, I do not own.**

**Chapter 6: lei your hands on me******

Lei had no idea why but he didn't feel the least bit self-conscious spending the day with a woman who wore a black veil. They'd gone to an amusement park after breakfast and spent the day there. They'd played in the arcade where he won her several stuffed animals, which she'd given to children they'd met while walking along the park. She'd treated him to his very first sidewalk-bought hotdog, complete with mustard, relish & sauerkraut. She'd gotten him to ride the roller coaster with her right after and hadn't laughed when he'd vomited the very same hotdog, barely digested, the minute they'd gotten off. 

She hadn't minded the fact that they'd gotten interrupted several times by fans asking for his autograph. And she made him laugh. Her jokes weren't always funny but he found himself laughing just the same. Maybe it was her voice. Maybe the way she moved her hands when she talked. Lei didn't know. But there was definitely something about her that captivated him, even though he had yet to find out what she really looked like. 

They were sitting on one of the park benches, after eating another hotdog, when he thought to ask, "Aren't you worried about the publicity that this date will surely elicit?" 

"Why would it? They won't even know who I am. I should be the one asking you that." she answered, turning her head towards him. 

He didn't answer. 

"Well?" she prompted. "Aren't you worried about the publicity? After all, you've shunned the media in the last couple of years." 

"No." Strangely enough, he really didn't care about the publicity. 

She just shrugged at his response. "Well, what do you want to do next?" 

"Shouldn't I be asking you that question? You were the one who bought my services after all." 

She grew silent for a while, as if thinking about what to do next. "Wanna go star-gazing?" 

He looked at her in surprise. "Could you see in the dark with that black veil over your eyes?" 

She laughed merrily. "I have a mask I can wear later." she answered mischievously. 

"Why don't you just do away with the whole thing and let me see your face instead?" he found himself asking. 

"How about I let you feel my face?" 

"Feel your face?" he asked curiously. 

"I'll let you feel my face under this veil, that way you can picture me in your mind." 

Lei thought about it for a while. He'd never been good at imagining using only his sense of touch, but figured that was as good as he was going to get so he agreed. "You got yourself a deal." 

"Okay. Give me your hands." she held out hers for his. 

Lei offered her his hands and felt a jolt of electricity at the contact. He tried to figure out if she'd felt the same but the darkness of the veil made him unable to even discern her features much less see the expression on her face. 

"Now close your eyes so you can picture my face much better." she told him solemnly. 

Lei complied and started tracing her features under the veil. "Smooth." He couldn't help but utter at the feel of her skin. 

She laughed. "Thanks." 

He continued tracing her features. "Hmm…nice forehead…no bangs…" he paused as he tried to determine the shape of her eyes and found that he couldn't, so he moved on, "nice nose…pointed chin…" he continued. 

His fingers followed the shape of her mouth and when he rubbed his thumb on her lower lip, he felt her breath hitch. He felt his own breath hitch when she her tongue darted out, unconsciously or consciously he didn't know, and touched his thumb. 

He withdrew his hands quickly after that small contact got him suddenly wanting to kiss her. 

Bad. 

That had never happened to him before. At least not in the last 9 years. He suddenly had a weird sensation that he knew her. How or why or when he had no idea. Could she be Jing? If she was, why hide her face? Shouldn't he have been able to tell if it was her? He had after all loved her before. But the woman in front of him felt different. Ah Mei? He hadn't seen her since that night when he'd admitted to her that he loved Shan Cai so he wasn't sure he'd be able to tell if it were her. And her voice was different. 

"Give it up." she whispered. 

"Huh?" he asked in confusion. 

"Stop trying to figure out who I am. You'll know soon enough." she answered, reading his thoughts perfectly. 

Lei shook his head and smiled instead. She was right. He would find out soon enough. 

He couldn't wait! 

*** 


	7. on the fifth day of christmas

**A/N: Anything you recognize from MG, I do not own.**

**Chapter 7: on the fifth day of Christmas...******

Ximen had never had as much fun with a girl as he had with her. It was now their fifth day together and contrary to her claim and his demand that they ignore her schedule and go horizontal whenever and wherever they felt like it, they had yet to do it. He found he liked her schedule and so had stuck to it. They didn't kiss until the second day. Hug on the third. Last night they'd gone to see a drive-in movie, the plot of which escaped them. They'd been too busy fogging up the windows, the popcorn and soda they'd bought all but forgotten and stick shift be damned. He'd pulled her over to the driver's seat and had her straddle him as they explored each other through their clothes. It hadn't mattered that she wore jeans. 

And he had not minded that he had to spend the rest of the night tossing and turning in his bed in physical pain despite standing inside the shower for more than an hour under freezing water. 

They had spent the drive to his private, and quite secluded, beach house off the city in relative comfort. Although he knew that she knew that today was THE day according to her schedule, there hadn't been any awkwardness between them. They'd gone about the whole day like they had in the last four before it, just laughing and having fun and touching each other quite often. 

The sun was setting quite beautifully when she asked him to take a walk with her along the beach. They had both freshened up after swimming. She was wearing a thin cotton dress that molded her body whenever the wind blew on her. She'd tied her hair back with a scarf and wore no makeup, her cheeks rosy from spending the day out in the sun. She looked breathtaking. He'd opted to wear shorts and an ordinary white T-shirt. He'd also tied his hair back and wore his contacts. 

It was already dark by the time they got back to the house. She was about to go inside when he'd decided he'd had enough. He needed to kiss her. Badly. So he pulled at her arm until she slammed into him. 

"What are you doing?" she asked in an exasperated voice although she was smiling. 

"What does it look like I'm doing?" he answered as he kept her pressed against him with his right arm and raised her face up to him with his left hand. 

"Are you going to kiss me?" she asked in a whisper. 

"Yes." he whispered back just before he pressed his lips against hers. 

"Are you going to hug me?" she asked again when he lifted his lips off hers briefly. 

"Yes," he answered as he wrapped his arms around her. 

"Are we going to make-out?" she whispered again. 

"Uhmm…and more…" he murmured while running his hands up and down her back. 

"Good." was all she answered. 

He felt her smile on his lips as one of his hands found its way down to her backside. 

The next couple of minutes were spent without speaking. Only the sounds of the waves rolling onto the shore and the rustle of clothing could be heard. 

"Maybe we should take this inside…" she gasped as his tongue found its way inside her left ear. 

They were now lying on the sand, with him underneath. Although they still had their clothes on, there were noticeable bumps that could be seen and felt through them. Their hair had long since been let out of their confines. 

"I thought you wanted to do it on the beach?" he teased her, quite sure that she wouldn't take offense. 

"We…need…something…to…lie…on…" she interspersed each word with little kisses and nibbles from his lips to the side of his neck. 

He gasped when she sucked on the skin over his carotid. "Your wish is my command," he whispered just before he rolled her over and nearly stumbled in his haste to get up to get them one. 

She was lying provocatively on her side with her dress hiked up, exposing the length of her left thigh and giving him a peek at the French-cut satin number she was wearing underneath, when he came back. 

Like a zombie he moved towards her and dropped the comforter he'd pulled off one of the beds onto the sand as she crooked her finger at him. He barely had the thing spread out before he quickly picked her up so they could both lie down on it. Only the light from the lanterns outside the house and the moon above could be seen for miles around as darkness fell on the beach completely. 

He turned them so she was lying underneath him and proceeded to drop little kisses all over her face… 

…her neck… 

…lower. 

She gasped as one of his hands traveled slowly… 

from her knee… 

to her thigh… 

…higher… 

taking the hem of her dress with him. 

She in turn busied herself by running her hands all over his chest… 

…under his shirt. 

He moaned when her fingers moved from his chest… 

…down to his tummy… 

…lower… 

…until they met the waistband of his boxers. 

Their lips met again and when his tongue sought entrance, she let him in. He tasted her fully… 

…completely 

…drinking in her essence as she did the same to him. 

Until neither of them knew where his lips ended and hers began. 

"Does this thing come with a zipper or do I need to rip it off?" he muttered inelegantly as he sought to remove her dress. 

She pushed him off her to do the honors herself and whispered, "Take your shirt off…" when they both came up for air. 

"God you're so beautiful…" he couldn't help but marvel as he looked at her bared figure. She really did look beautiful. And sexy. And quite possibly edible. 

She answered by pulling him into her embrace once again. They both gasped at the contact of bare skin against bare skin and he couldn't stop himself from kissing her again. This time, it was a kiss meant to sear her to her very toes and more. It worked. 

But she'd given back as good as she got and he found himself turning the two of them over so she ended up draped over him…straddling him…her hair forming a mysterious curtain over their faces as they continued kissing. 

His eyes closed helplessly as her lips left his to travel downwards… 

from his chin… 

to that hollow in his neck… 

lower… 

to his chest. 

If he hadn't already been lying down, he swore he would have fallen at that exact moment when she darted her tongue out to trace patterns on his tummy… 

moving ever lower… 

"What…" she started to complain when he grasped her hair to pull her up for another kiss. One that was almost punishing in its intensity. A kiss meant to burn. A kiss meant to brand. 

"It's my turn now…" he whispered just before he too dropped little kisses from her chin… 

towards her neck … 

coupling each one with little nips that made her gasp and moan at every turn. 

He looked up to see her eyes closed in ecstasy before his tongue started to trace patterns on her neck… 

lower… 

and lower still… 

***   
  



	8. i know you

A/N: Anything from MG you recognize, I do not own.  
  
***  
  


Chapter 7: i know you... 

Lei couldn't believe how fast time had flown. 

It was now the fifth day and Lei had been pacing back and forth waiting for her to come and pick him up. He knew what he was feeling was irrational. He hadn't even seen her face yet. But he knew. He was slowly falling in love with her. He'd considered asking Shan Cai or hiring a detective to find out her identity but he'd felt guilty for even considering it. Of course, if she chose to keep her identity a secret until the end of the week, he had no idea what he would do. If she'd set out to bewitch, beguile and bewilder him, then she was succeeding quite admirably. 

They had spent the second day together yet apart. She said she had to go somewhere important and had given him the day off, so to speak. Of course, she'd called him in the middle of the day and they ended up talking over the phone every two hours after that. They'd talked about anything and everything under the sun. He found that he had a lot of things in common with her. They both liked to listen to music. They both liked to eat. They both loved to travel but hated flying. She'd teased him about his habit of sleeping 15 hours a day. He'd asked her how come she knew but she'd just laughed and didn't answer. They read the same types of books and even had an in-depth discussion about architecture and engineering. 

The following day, they'd exchanged notes the whole day. She had him wait at his house for her notes, which, like the calls from the previous day, came every two hours. He'd asked the messenger to wait for his responses to each note and he was pretty sure she'd spent quite a lot with that stunt, not to mention gotten several messengers tired from traversing to and from their respective houses. 

On the fourth day, she'd come to pick him up at home. She was wearing a veil that covered the lower portion of her face, revealing only her eyes, still insistent in keeping her identity a secret. He'd asked her impatiently why but she'd just laughed it off. Lei had tried his hardest to recall if he'd ever heard that laugh before. If he'd ever heard that voice before. If he'd ever seen that silhouette before. And he came up blank each time. They went to the movies. Lei had never been much of a movie fan but he surprised even himself by having a great time. Maybe it was the sound of her laughter or the feel of her hands in his. Or maybe the way she fed him popcorn or the taste of her as they shared a soda. It certainly wasn't due to the movie because he could barely remember the plot let alone the actors and actresses in it. He really hadn't been paying attention. All his focus was on her. He wondered yet again what kind of magic she'd used to make him feel like she's the center of his universe. He cringed at the way he seemed to wax lyrical when it came to her. He had to forcibly remind himself that he would only be with her for a week. 

"Hello Lei, sorry to keep you waiting." Her cheerful voice broke into his reverie. 

"Hi." Lei felt a little bit foolish for not being able to think of anything else to say. 

"Shall we?" she asked. This time, instead of a veil, she wore a mask that covered the upper portion of her face, her long hair held back in a loose topknot. 

Lei could only nod and kick himself mentally for acting like a lovesick fool. He couldn't remember ever feeling like this before. He'd only ever fallen in love twice. With Jing, it had been a young boy's love. Infatuation, gratitude and awe rolled into one. With Shan Cai, it had been slow growing. He'd felt like her guardian at first, her protector…and then it had evolved into friendship, then into love and had evolved back again into friendship. 

So what was he feeling now? He was now in his thirties and he'd known his share of beautiful women. So what was his excuse? 

*** 

"What is this place?" Lei couldn't help but ask. They'd driven for hours, leaving Taipei behind. Just when Lei was about ready to fall asleep, she finally stopped the car. 

She didn't answer. Instead, she got out and Lei had no choice but to follow suit. He then realized they were facing some sort of a mountain. He looked at her. 

"You're not seriously expecting us to hike up, do you?" 

She laughed and nodded. "You don't think you're up to it?" she teased him. 

"Why didn't you tell me?" Lei asked, shaking his head and feeling quite stupid. He should have known she was planning a hike the minute he'd seen her getup. 

She was wearing a white shirt tucked into khaki shorts with white socks and hiking boots. He'd been so distracted with the mask that he'd ignored everything else. 

"Would you have come if I told you?" she asked. 

Lei sighed loudly. "You did buy me for a week you know, of course I'd have come." She didn't have to know that he'd have come with her with bells on even if she thought to bring him to the ends of the earth. The thought shook Lei. What was happening to him? 

"What are you complaining about then?" she retorted. 

Lei didn't want to sound like a sissy so he just started walking instead. Never mind that his shoes weren't meant for hiking. Never mind that he was so out of shape he just might find himself panting in the middle of the trail. Never mind that he'd end up sweating like a pig. He'd hike even if it killed him. 

She ran to catch up with him. "Hey Lei! Wait up!" 

He stopped but didn't turn around. "What's up there anyway?" he couldn't help the note of annoyance from creeping into his voice. 

"It's a surprise." She told him just as she reached him and they started walking side by side. 

Great! Another surprise. Like the one he was sure he was getting when she finally, if she ever does, reveal her face to him. He shrugged philosophically. 

Whatever! 

*** 

Lei took back every single curse he'd thought of during the hour-long hike when they finally reached the summit. He forgot about the sorry state of his feet. He forgot about the sweat rolling off his face and back and neck and every other portion of his anatomy that had sweat glands. He forgot about the heat and his hunger. 

"Like it?" she asked as she stood beside him taking in the view. 

"It's…" he couldn't find a word to describe it. They were looking down at the view of the city and it was breathtaking. 

"I know…I couldn't say anything too when I first saw the view…" she whispered as she took out the clamp holding her hair up to let it flow freely with the breeze. 

He stole a look at her from the corner of his eyes and felt his heart lurch as he realized something. 

He knew who she was after all. 

No wonder she felt familiar. 

He just never thought it could be her. 

He asked himself silently how he felt about the knowledge… 

…and came up with one answer. 

"Lei?" she asked without turning to look at him. 

He didn't answer. He just turned so he could look at her profile more closely. 

She must have felt his intense concentration because she whispered, "You know, don't you?" 

He still didn't answer. 

After a minute or so, she finally turned to face him. 

Slowly, half-afraid, half-hopeful, he raised his hand to touch her mask. 

She held her breath as he slowly, carefully, took it off. 

It fell and got blown away by the breeze. But neither of them noticed. They just stood there looking at each other. Taking in each other's expressions… 

hers, hopeful… 

and his, awestruck. 

"Now what?" she asked in a whisper. 

He still didn't speak. 

Instead he touched her chin gently… 

and tilted her head up… 

as he leaned towards her… 

…and gave her a kiss. 

***   
  


A/N: So sorry for not updating this story for a loooooooooooooong loooooooooooooong time. Had major writer's block with this chapter so if it sucks…I apologize. I hope to do better with my next update (on Lei) because I can finally do away with the mask/veil and they can get down to the nitty-grity (so to speak). The next chapter on these two will also be a lot longer & hotter (?…or at least as long as that of xm&xy's…promise). Just hope Lei's not too OoC in this fic. Hope to see all of you again soon ;) 


	9. then & now

Chapter 8: then & now 

A/N: Anything you recognize from Meteor Garden, I do not own.  
Rated R for obvious reasons. =) 

*** 

Ximen stared at Xiao You's sleeping form. He knew he should be sleeping already. He stole a glance at the clock by the bedside table and saw that it was already 2AM. He sighed, careful not to do anything to disturb her slumber. 

He held his breath as she shifted in her sleep, turning away from him to face the table. He felt a squeeze somewhere in the vicinity of his heart. It seemed that even in repose, she wanted to turn away from him. It would have been the perfect time to move away from her, after all, his upper arm had gone numb from carrying the weight of her head throughout the night. But he found himself following her instead. 

He thought he'd gotten over whatever feelings she'd awakened in him when they spent the night together six years ago. He'd convinced himself that he'd been mistaken when he'd woken up feeling bereft when he realized she'd left him without even saying goodbye. He'd made himself believe that it had been his pride and not his heart that had gotten hurt by her leaving. So he didn't go after her. He pretended that nothing changed. And even when he found himself unable to want anyone else after her, he'd fooled himself into thinking that it wasn't her. It was work. And if he found himself waking up with tears in his eyes, he told himself it was just strain from too much paperwork. 

He was wrong. 

The past five days had told him that. 

He knew he was running out of time. 

And so he moved even closer to her so that his chest pressed against her back. He wrapped his arms around her tightly in an effort to tell her without words that he wanted her to stay. He knew it wouldn't be long before she complained. It was too hot after all and they were both starting to sweat a little. But he hoped…he wished….he prayed…that somehow, just for tonight, she does not push him away. 

The heavens must have heard him…because she didn't resist. 

And so he finally slept. 

*** 

"Why didn't you tell me?" he wondered aloud. They were now lying side by side on the bed, staring at the ceiling in the dark. 

"Would it have mattered?" she asked back. 

Ximen didn't speak. It wouldn't have mattered. He'd wanted her so badly, he wouldn't have stopped. He couldn't have. "So what now?" he asked, though he 

feared the answer. 

"I don't know." she whispered, not looking at him and not moving. 

"Are you sore?" he finally asked, feeling like a pig because he wanted her again. He turned on his side so he could look at her profile. 

"A bit." She smiled as she made the admission. 

"Wait here." He answered as he quickly got out of the bed and walked towards the bathroom, uncaring of his nudity. He was surprised to see she hadn't moved 

at all when he came back to the bedroom bearing a towelette and a small basin that was half-filled with warm water. He would have liked to turn the lamps on but he didn't think she'd appreciate it so he just went straight towards her side of the bed, glad of the moonlight filtering from outside the bedroom window. 

"What are you doing?" she asked in a curious voice as he sat down on the bed on her right side. 

"Shh.." he whispered as he gently tugged at the bed sheet she'd been clutching to her chest. He saw her bite her lips as he bared her to his gaze. She was so 

beautiful that it had almost caused him physical pain to set his lust aside to care for her. He was glad the darkness hid the flush that he knew must be staining his cheeks. 

He then gently nudged her right knee away from her left one and gently used the cloth he'd wet with the warm water to both wipe all traces of their lovemaking from between her thighs and to soothe the soreness he knew she was feeling. His conscience had pricked at him. He'd convinced himself that she'd been experienced because he reasoned that she'd started it. He'd told himself, surely she couldn't have remained a virgin after years of living in Canada. He'd told himself it didn't matter…that in fact, he preferred it that way…it would just be two bodies seeking relief. No emotional burden as was usually the case with 

virgins. 

He was never more glad to be proven wrong. 

The reality of being her first should have frightened him. Because it would have meant that she'd waited for him. That maybe…she still felt the same way about him even after all these years. But if he were honest with himself, he'd admit that he was ecstatic that he'd been her first. That she had waited for him. The fact that it had been her first time had made him feel like it had been his first too, even though they both knew he'd been with a number of women before her. 

"I…I think it's all better now…" her embarrassed voice broke through his musings. 

He looked up at her face and saw that she had her head turned towards the side, away from him. He smiled to himself as he finished his ministrations and dropped the towelette back into the basin. He then drew the covers back up to her breasts and couldn't help but shake his head when he saw her clutch it quickly with her two hands. He knew she needed a minute to get over her embarrassment so he stood up to take the basin back into the bathroom. 

When he came back out, she had turned on her side, towards the wall facing away from his side of the bed. Quietly, he got into bed beside her and pulled her body back into the cradle of his arms. He thought she'd resist, but she didn't. 

"Relax…" he whispered when he realized she was tense. 

She didn't give any indication that she'd heard, other than a slight move to press her back against his chest. 

It was the final straw for Ximen. 

He couldn't help it. 

He started nibbling his way from the back of her ear… 

towards the side of her neck… 

to her nape. 

He felt her shiver and press closer to him. He moved his hands slowly to caress her body over the sheets. He heard her moan. He knew he should move slowly, after all, he was pretty sure she was still sore, but he couldn't help himself. 

He turned her on her back and started dropping kisses all over her face. 

Her throat. 

Her chest. 

Lower… 

*** 

"What are you doing?" 

"Huh?" Ximen slowly opened his eyes and realized he'd been kissing her in his sleep. 

"Must have been some dream…" she teased him when he finally looked up at her face. 

It was. He'd been dreaming about their first time…six years ago. He sighed and started to get off her but then froze. He met her surprised gaze as they both 

realized at the same time that he was…uhm…'awake.' He was about to apologize but then she smiled before pushing him gently off her. "Hold that thought…" she laughed as she quickly got out of bed to run inside the bathroom. 

He could only laugh in response as he lay on his back and stared at the ceiling. She never ceased to amaze him. Her shyness seemed to have disappeared altogether. Part of him regretted it but a larger part of him was glad. He only had two days left to convince her to stay with him forever and he was grateful that the new Xiao You was willing to give their 'relationship,' such as it was, a shot. 

"Your turn." She grinned at him as she came out of the bathroom wearing the robe he'd left hanging behind the door. 

"My turn?" he asked her stupidly. 

"You honestly don't expect me to engage in sex…" she began to tease him. 

"Lovemaking" he corrected her quickly. 

She looked surprised for a while and quickly recovered, "…lovemaking…" she raised an eyebrow after saying the word, "…with someone who had yet to brush his teeth , do you?" she continued with a smile. 

Ximen mentally shrugged philosophically. At least she'd agreed to call it lovemaking, instead of sex…that had to count for something right? "Give me five minutes." He decided to get into the spirit of things as he too got out of bed. 

She gave a wolf whistle as he sauntered to the bathroom sans any covering. 

He grinned at her as he walked even more slowly so as to give her a more thorough look at his physique. He then posed ala the Incredible Hulk to show off his abs and pecs. 

"Talk about having a swelled head!" she rolled her eyes to show she wasn't impressed. 

"And don't you forget it." He was quick to reply, wiggling his eyebrows in a mock leer. 

She laughed at him before she lay back on the bed. "Hurry up and remind me then…" she called out to him throatily as she untied the robe's belt suggestively. 

He didn't need to be asked twice. 

*** 

Ximen was back to staring at her sleeping form. He knew he should be sleeping too. It was already 3AM after all. He was tired. They'd spent the whole morning in bed and the whole afternoon swimming and combing the beach. They then took another leisurely stroll until the sun set and lay on the sand, staring at the skies as they made a bet as to who could identify the most number of constellations. She won. So he ended up preparing their dinner. He didn't mind. He'd gladly prepare her dinner every night if she stayed. 

He sighed as she again turned away from him in her sleep. There were a number of times during the day that he'd almost asked her to stay beyond the one week they'd agreed on. But it never seemed the right moment. So he just let things ride. He still had a day left after all. 

And so, like he'd done the night before, he turned to wrap his arms around her, spoon-fashion. And like the night before, she didn't resist. "Good." he thought. She was getting used to the feel of him around her. Tomorrow…he promised himself…tomorrow…okay…make that in a couple of hours, he'd tell her how he felt. 

And ask her to stay. 

And with that promise, he was again able to fall asleep. 

*** 

A/N2: Hope I've not offended anyone…I took care not to make it too explicit and hope I've succeeded in staying within the bounds of winglin's policy when it comes to such situations. Thanks to all of you for your continued support. 

*** 


	10. guilty

**ANYTHING METEOR GARDEN YOU RECOGNIZE, I DO NOT OWN.**

**Chapter 9: guilty******

Lei stared at the photograph of her in his hands as he recalled the events following that fateful kiss. 

Flashback--- 

They were both sweating. 

The heat of the sun was nearly unbearable in its intensity. 

His feet hurt like the very devil. 

His stomach was grumbling from hunger. 

And her hair was all over his face. 

So how come he felt so good he wanted to dance? 

He'd kissed her because he wanted to know if he'd feel something. A minute into the kiss and he knew. He'd never gotten over her after all. 

"When did you find out?" she asked him when they finally broke apart. 

"I think maybe I've always known…." Lei answered. His mind might not have recognized her, but his heart did. "I just never thought you'd ever come back." 

"I didn't want to." She admitted. 

"Why did you?" Lei had to ask although he was glad that she did so. 

"Because." She said simply. 

He didn't say anything. He just pulled her closer to him and wrapped his arms around her. She reciprocated by wrapping her arms around his waist and burying her head into the crook of his neck, not caring in the least that he was all sweaty and smelling like heaven knows what. 

"You've changed." It was a statement, not a question. 

"Ten years tend to do that…" she answered. 

"Does this mean what I think it means?" It seemed weird to ask after having kissed the way they did. 

"What do you think?" she asked. 

"I think that you're still in love with me." 

She pushed him away indignantly. "You wish." 

Lei laughed. "Admit it. You still love me." 

"So what if I do?" 

"I still love you too." Lei admitted. 

Her face fell. "You don't have to do this Lei." 

"Do what?" he asked. 

"This! You don't need to say you love me. I didn't come back for that." 

"What did you come back for then?" he was smiling when he asked. 

"I'm getting married." 

Her words hit Lei like a physical slap. This couldn't be happening! Not again! "Married?" 

She looked at him in remorse as she nodded. 

It took all of Lei's willpower to keep his voice steady as he asked, "So why bother with this charade then?" 

"I just…I wanted to see you again…" 

"You could have seen me without doing this." He reasoned. 

"It wasn't supposed to be this way…" she whispered. 

Lei looked at her without expression. 

"I never meant for you to find out who I am…" she started to explain. 

"Liar!" his voice was like whiplash. 

She looked at him in surprise. 

"You set me up." 

"What? No…" 

"You set out to make me fall in love with you again so you could get back at me for rejecting you all those years ago." Lei's fists clenched in anger. 

"No…" she shook her head. 

"Well, you've had your drop of blood. I hope you're happy." Lei didn't know how he remained standing. 

"Lei…" she reached out to him. 

He moved to avoid her touch. "You'll forgive me if I don't stay to finish the agreed-upon week. I'll tell Shan Cai to refund your money…" he told her coldly. 

"No…please Lei, listen…" she pleaded. 

He ignored her and turned around to walk back to where they came from. He took out his cell phone and dialled his personal assistant's number. "Have the helicopter come pick me up." He didn't bother with pleasantries and quickly dictated his location. 

End of flashback--- 

He'd left her standing where she was and never looked back. He couldn't. He'd been afraid that if he did, he'd throw his pride to the winds and beg. 

"Not again! Never again!" he vowed as he slowly and systematically started ripping the 

photograph into shreds and threw them into the waters. 

When all of the pieces had been carried away by the current, he pushed himself up and away from the bridge's railing and started walking back to his car. 

He had a flight to catch. 

*** 

Lei opened the door to his house and breathed in the quiet. He'd called ahead and ordered all of his staff to have a day off because he wanted to be alone. They were used to it and he knew everything was prepared. His food would have been left warming in the oven and his bed turned down, ready for sleeping. 

His bedroom was blessedly dark, the blinds turned down to prevent sunlight from filtering in. He automatically walked into the bathroom. He needed a shower as badly as he needed sleep. In minutes, he was under the stinging spray, trying valiantly to block all thoughts of her from his mind. 

He didn't bother dressing. He just wrapped a towel around his waist after drying his hair vigorously and walked back into his bedroom. He adjusted the room's temperature to his liking before he discarded the towel and quickly got in between the sheets. 

He was about to slide towards the middle of the bed when his hand encountered something suspiciously like human skin…a female human skin. 

"What the…" he quickly sat up in surprise as he pulled at the sheets to reveal… 

…her. 

"What took you so long?" she asked. 

Lei nearly swallowed his tongue. Although the room was dark, he could make out her form. 

She was…   
  


"Why are you…" he couldn't quite finish the thought. 

"Here?" she asked mischievously as though it was an ordinary occurrence to have a 

conversation in their birthday suits. 

Lei didn't answer. He couldn't. He was busy trying to control his body's response to her proximity. She smelled so wonderfully…not to mention looked so… 

"My week's not up yet." she answered as she started crawling closer to him. 

Lei wanted to move away. He really did. But his limbs seemed to have been frozen. He opened his mouth to answer but no words came out. It seemed as though his throat had ceased to work too. 

She stopped moving when she was only several inches away from him. Her teasing look had been replaced with something else…something Lei had trouble deciphering…the room was too dark…and her body was too close… 

"Make love to me…" she whispered, not moving, just waiting. 

Lei knew he should push her away. She was engaged to someone else. It was probably all a game to her. She'll leave him again. 

But he found himself touching her face with his right hand. 

He found himself tracing her lips with his thumb. 

He found himself leaning forward to touch his lips to hers. 

She gave a small sigh before she opened her lips to allow his tongue entry. 

And before they could both think further, he'd pulled her into his arms and they were kissing. 

Heatedly. 

Intently.  
  


Without thought… 

…without logic… 

…without pride. 

*** 

"Wow." was all she said after as they both stared at the ceiling. 

Lei had yet to find his tongue. But 'wow' seemed to sum it up quite nicely. 

"Lei…" she whispered. 

"Yes?" he finally answered. 

"Would you …" 

"Be up for round two?" he teasingly finished for her. 

"Haha! You wish…" 

He turned so he was on top of her. "I do…" 

"Lei…" 

"Shhh…." He whispered before he started kissing her yet again. 

*** 

"I can't move…" she whispered to him. She was sitting in front of him in the bathtub, her back resting languidly on his chest, his legs on either side of her. 

"Uhuh…" he answered, his head resting on the rim of the tub. There was water all over the 

floor. 

"Are we trying for a record…" she asked, half-seriously, her eyes closed as she ran her hands 

his knees absently. 

"No…but if you keep doing that…we might just make it…" he answered, also half-seriously, as he felt a familiar response to her movements. 

"I can't…" she complained, although she gave a shiver as his hands slid from her sides towards her chest. 

"Are you sure?" he whispered to her ear teasingly. 

*** 

"No more…" she muttered weakly as she lay sprawled over him in the dark, though the blinds were no longer turned down. 

Lei could only nod in agreement. He'd lost count of how many times they'd ended up like so. 

All he knew was that his body was now crying out for sustenance. They hadn't eaten anything the whole day and it was already dark outside. "One of us should probably get food…" 

She turned on her side and pushed him off the bed. 

"I meant you…not me…" he complained. 

She didn't answer, instead she burrowed her head onto the pillow. 

Lei gave a loud sigh as he finally stood up. He picked up the towel off the floor and tied it around his waist before walking towards the door. He took in her still figure on the bed before going out to get them food. He was already on his way back to his bedroom, carrying the tray when he remembered her engagement. 

He knew he should feel guilty. 

But he didn't. 

She was with him now. For whatever reason. 

It was up to him to keep her there. 

***   
  



	11. stay

**ANYTHING METEOR GARDEN YOU RECOGNIZE, I DO NOT OWN.**

**Chapter 10: stay **

Lei had been sitting silently next to the bed, patiently waiting for her to wake up. It was only 5 AM but he couldn't sleep. As soon as she stirred, he spoke. 

"We need to talk." 

She opened her eyes sleepily and took in his still form. He was already showered and dressed. 

She winced as she gave a stretch. "Can it wait until I've showered?" she asked, not the least bit perturbed at the seriousness of his tone. 

"I've already run you a hot bath…" he volunteered. 

She looked at him in surprise. "Thanks." she answered before she got up and off the bed, dragging the sheets with her into the bathroom. 

Lei was left in the bedroom thinking about his next course of action. He'd gotten up quite early, unable to sleep. He'd lain awake all night holding her close and listening to her breathe. They'd 

made love again during the night. He hadn't brought up her engagement and neither did she. 

She was clad in his robe when she finally came out of the bathroom, toweling her hair dry. Lei held out his hands towards her. 

"Here…let me…" he offered as he took the towel off her hands to take over drying her hair. 

She sat down between his legs, her back towards him. They stayed that way for several minutes. She had her eyes closed as he dried her hair gently behind her. 

"There…" he finally said. "I think that's dry enough." 

"Thanks." She answered as she moved away from him to sit on the bed. 

He pulled the chair in front of her and sat down again. "We didn't take any precautions." He went straight to the point. 

She didn't show any reaction. She just stared at him quietly. 

"Aren't you worried?" he asked. 

"Is that what this is about?" she answered. 

Lei didn't say anything for a while. Finally, "Tell me." he said. 

"Tell you what?" she pretended ignorance. 

"Why did you really come back?" he asked, willing her to tell the truth. 

She looked at him for the longest time before she spoke, averting her gaze so she didn't have to meet his stare. 

"I'm getting married." She answered, as if that explained everything. 

Lei ignored the pain her words evoked in him. "Who is he?" 

"Does it matter?" she shrugged. 

Lei wanted to shake her but he controlled himself. "So what is this then?" 

"My last fling?" she made her statement sound like a question. 

"I hope he's not the kind who minds not being the first." He retorted, unable to help the note of bitterness from creeping in his voice. 

She looked at him sharply. "He loves me." 

"Congratulations." He muttered sarcastically. 

"Why are you doing this Lei? I would have thought you'd be glad." 

"Glad? You're marrying someone else and you think I'll be glad?" 

"It's not like you love me." She said quietly. 

"I told you I loved you." 

She laughed. "Do you?" she asked skeptically. "Don't kid yourself Lei." 

"What happened to you?" 

"You really want to know?" she asked, looking at him without any hint of emotion on her face. 

"You were right." She admitted. At his look of confusion, she continued, "I bought you because I wanted to get back at you. It didn't seem fair that you'd managed to get on with your life without ever looking back, when I've spent mine…" she broke off. "Ten years…" she whispered. "Ten years I've waited…" 

"I've waited for you to come back to me…." She averted her face as she spoke. "I told myself, he didn't mean. He still cared for me…surely he'll come back…maybe next year…or the year after…or the year after that…but you never did…until finally, I got tired of waiting. And then I heard about that auction. It seemed as though the fates were mocking me…giving me a chance to be with you again…" 

"I'm sorry…I didn't know." Lei willed her to look at him again. 

She ignored his apology. "How could you? You were too busy mourning her." 

"I…" Lei couldn't continue. 

She laughed without humor. "Do you know how painful it was to read the liner notes in your CD? To listen to your music and know that she'd been your inspiration? To realize that she mattered to you more than I did?" 

Lei had no explanation. 

"We were each other's anchor for the first twenty years of your life Lei…how could you have forgotten?" Although she spoke without emotion, her face reflected her anguish. 

"You let go first." Lei couldn't help but raise the past as his defense. 

She closed her eyes at his words. "Well, aren't you glad that I did?" she asked as she opened her eyes to look at him intently. 

"Don't marry him." He told her flatly. 

"Why not? So I can spend the next ten years waiting for you again?" she laughed. 

"No." 

"No?" 

"No. So you can spend the next years of your life being with me." Lei's words echoed between 

them. 

"He loves me." She reasoned. 

"You love me." He countered. 

"And a lot of good that has done me…" she mocked him. 

"I love you too." 

She didn't react. Instead she stood up and picked up her clothes off the floor. "The week is up. 

You're free." 

"Don't do this." 

"I'll go get dressed." was all she said just before she went into the bathroom. 

Lei was left sitting, staring into space, unable to believe that she was really leaving. He didn't know what else to say to make her change her mind. 

Finally, she came out of the bathroom all dressed and ready to go. She looked at him silently for several minutes before she walked slowly towards the door. She reached for the doorknob. 

"If you walk out that door, I won't come after you." He said quietly. 

She stopped at his words. "Goodbye Lei." She whispered and turned the knob to open the door. 

"Stay…" he whispered. 

But she'd already left. 

*** 

Ximen woke up reaching for her… 

…and encountered nothing but space. 

He slowly opened his eyes and looked. She was not there. But the imprint of her head on the pillow was still visible. He strained his ears to listen for her movements. Nothing. He sat up quickly as his heart started to beat erratically all of a sudden. 

"No…" he thought. "Please…" he begged the heavens as he scrambled off the bed and went to the bathroom to look for her. He struggled to contain his panic as he saw that it was empty. 

With feet suddenly feeling like lead he walked towards the closet. He reached out to open it, afraid of what he might not see. "Please…" he whispered again, hoping for the sight of her clothes hanging next to his. 

His legs almost gave out. 

He slammed the closet door in reaction and walked out of the bedroom quickly to scour the rest of the cottage. She wasn't there. Only her scent lingered to tell him she'd been there at all. He looked out of the window and swore violently. She'd taken the car! 

He could only stand there dumbly. Numbly. Unaware of the cold. Unaware of his nudity. Unaware of everything except the fact that she'd left him. 

She'd left him! 

Again. 

Several minutes had passed before he could make himself move. Before he could muster the strength to walk back to the bedroom to get dressed. He'd stood under the shower for the longest time trying to contain emotions that were threatening to choke him. 

He was already dressed and waiting for the charter plane he'd called to pick him up when he finally saw it. 

He slowly walked towards the table next to the bed to pick it up. 

It was a note. 

Written in her near little script. 

With trembling fingers he opened it, and read. 

"Ximen, 

Our week is up so I'm letting you go. I would have said goodbye in person but I guess I'm not cut out to be player like you. It was fun while it lasted though wasn't it? Don't worry, I'm leaving your car with Shan Cai. Take care of yourself. 

Xiao You" 

Ximen couldn't help it. 

He ripped the letter to shreds. 

How dare she? He was Ximen Zhong er Lang! He was not some nobody she could dismiss with such a paltry note! He deserved better! It wasn't as though she was anybody special! Who did she think she was? Didn't she know that women scrambled for a chance to spend time with him? She should be thanking her lucky stars that he'd even deigned to give her a second chance! How dare she! 

But he could only hold on to his indignation for so long…to his anger, even less. 

Why didn't she give him a chance? Why did she leave so soon? Why didn't she stay? 

And in minutes, he found himself on his knees. 

Picking up the pieces… 

…of the note… 

…and of his heart. 

*** 

As Lei and Ximen stood outside their respective cottages, staring into the waters and waiting, two women arrived within minutes of each other at two different airports. 

The taller of the two women queued at the Narita International Airport terminal bound for Paris, France. 

The other, at the Taiwan International Airport terminal bound for Toronto, Canada. 

FIN 

***   
  



	12. 3 months later

Epilogue : 3 months later… 

A/N: Anything you recognize from Meteor Garden, I do not own. But the plot and the words are mine though so I'd appreciate a holler before you distribute it in any shape or form. Thanks. =) 

*** 

At a church in Barcelona, Spain, an Asian man with slightly overgrown hair, clad in white polo shirt and slacks looked on from a distance as a newly-married couple descended the steps. From his vantage point, he really couldn't see the couple's faces very well. He could tell though that the bride was smiling, as was the groom. 

"Aren't you going to go congratulate them?" a voice came from behind him. 

He didn't react. He just continued staring at the couple until they both got into the bridal car. 

"Are you with the bride or the groom?" the voice persisted. 

He still didn't speak. 

"Well, the reception will be held at the groom's estate. Do you know where it is? I could take you there if you want." The offer came helpfully. 

When he still didn't speak, the person shrugged, "Suit yourself," and left him alone. 

He hardly noticed. His gaze was trained on the church as the rest of the wedding party scattered to leave. When he'd seen that everyone had left, he slowly walked towards the church. He stood by the steps for several minutes before he decided to make his way inside. 

*** 

Somewhere in Toronto, Canada, an Asian man sat at an outdoor café just before sunset. His long hair had been pulled back into a ponytail and he wore glasses. In front of him on the table sat a cup of black coffee. Untouched. He'd been too busy staring at the woman sitting on a bench across the street. 

She was also Asian, with long fine hair, loosely gathered into a braid. She wore a baby tee, capris and flip-flops. She seemed to be waiting for someone as she kept on looking at her watch every five minutes for the last hour or so. He knew because he'd been staring at her for that long. 

He wondered who she was waiting for. A boyfriend? A friend? He fought the urge to walk up to her and ask. It wouldn't do to show himself to her. At least, not yet. He was startled out of his intense concentration when the street lights suddenly lit up just as a car pulled up in front of her and from out of the back seat came the person that she'd been waiting for. 

An expression bordering on pain crossed the face of the man across the street as he took in the scene before him As he took in the way her face had lit up at the sight of the newcomer. As he took in the way she'd jumped up and quickly embraced him. He looked on as the two bent and leaned towards the car as she talked to the driver. He was afforded a better look at the newcomer when the car pulled away and they both straightened. 

He was wearing a suit. A little on the thin side but anyone could tell that he was very good looking. He too wore glasses and like her, also had Asian features. They could pass for siblings but the man across the street knew she had no brother. So who was he? 

*** 

He took in the flower arrangement along the pews as well as the other items that indicated that a wedding had just taken place. He started walking towards the altar but then changed his mind. He turned left instead and walked towards the side where the candle offerings were located. He fished for a coin inside his trouser pocket and lit one candle. 

He had never been a religious person. But he found himself praying. 

For strength. 

So that he may learn to forget about her. 

He had no idea how long he stood there, staring at his candle's flickering flame. It could have been seconds. It could have been minutes. It could have been hours. 

Finally, he moved. He took a deep breath and started walking. He was nearly at the church's main door when he heard it. 

"Lei?" 

*** 

The cell phone resting beside the untouched coffee suddenly rang, shaking the man from his reverie. 

"Hello." He answered. 

"Where are you?" the voice on the other end asked. 

"Why do you ask?" he wondered. 

"She's worried about you." The voice answered. 

"Tell her not to worry. I'm not about to commit mayhem here." He reassured the other man dryly. 

"I'm so sorry." 

He laughed. "It's not your fault." 

"But she knew…" 

"I don't blame her. Go reassure your wife Ah Si." He wanted to end the conversation quickly. 

Ah Si sighed loudly. "Take care Ximen, okay?" 

"I will." He answered and hung up. 

*** 

Lei slowly turned around and searched for the voice's owner… 

…and saw 

…her. 

"What…" he couldn't continue. What was she doing here? 

"You came." She said the words as though she couldn't quite believe he was actually in front of her. 

He walked slowly towards her as though afraid she'd vanish before his very eyes. His gaze, focused on her face. 

"You didn't?" he wondered aloud. 

She shook her head. 

"Why?" he asked, not moving. 

She licked her lips in nervousness. "I…" 

He couldn't help it. He reached out to touch her face. 

"Shh…" he whispered just before he bent down to give her a kiss. 

A gentle kiss. 

A healing kiss. 

"Does this mean what I think it means?" It was her turn to say the words he'd asked of her back then. 

"What do you think?" he asked. 

"I think that you're still in love with me." 

He pushed her away indignantly. "You wish." 

She laughed. "Admit it. You still love me." 

"So what if I do?" 

"I still love you too." She admitted. 

He pulled her into his embrace and kissed the top of her head. "I thought you'd married him." 

She shook her head as she too wrapped her arms around him. "I couldn't…" 

"Do you know what you've put me through in the last three months?" he asked as he tightened his arms around her. 

"I'm sorry…" she whispered to his chest. 

"Marry me?" he asked as he pulled away slightly so he could look at her. 

*** 

"What's wrong?" she asked as she felt him pulling on her sleeve. 

"That man…" he pointed across the street at the café. "He keeps looking at us." 

"What man?" she asked again as she followed his fingers. There wasn't anyone there. 

"He was just there…" he scratched his head, wondering where the man had gone. 

She laughed just before she kissed him on the cheek. "It was just your imagination sweetie." 

He gave her a look of hurt. "It was not!" he pouted. 

She sighed. "Never mind. It's getting late. We need to go now." 

*** 

Ximen sat in his car, breathing a sigh of relief as he realized she'd nearly spotted him. He wasn't ready to face her yet. He didn't want anyone else to be present when he confronted her. 

*** 

She could only look at him in wonder upon hearing the words. 

"Please?" he added as he saw the tears glistening in her eyes. 

She answered by taking something out of the pockets of her dress. 

Lei looked at her curiously. What was she getting? 

"Do you remember this?" she asked as she opened her palm to show him. 

"You still have it?" he asked in wonder. It was the ring he'd given her when they were young. He'd made it out of aluminum foil and the very first broken string of his violin. 

She nodded. "Would you…?" she trailed off. 

With trembling fingers, Lei reached out to pick it up gently from off her palm. 

She responded by holding out her left hand, palm down. 

Slowly, reverently, he slid it into her ring finger. 

He'd cried when he'd realized he'd made it too big for her fingers then. 

Now, it was her turn to cry. 

But not for the same reason. 

This time it did fit. 

Perfectly. 

*** 

She was tired. All she wanted to do was go to bed and fall asleep. She looked at her watch and saw that it was already 10PM. She had just finished taking a shower and was wearing her favorite sleepwear. It was a man's white shirt. His shirt. She'd packed it accidentally the last time they'd been together and had decided to keep it. It was one of two keepsakes she had of him. The other one was in the other bedroom. 

She was checking if she'd locked the front door properly when the bell rang. Who could be visiting her at this late hour? Maybe it was her mom. She often dropped by late at night to bring back things that had been accidentally left behind at their house. 

"What is it this time, Ma?" she automatically asked as she opened the door. 

"Hello, Xiao You." 

"Ximen!" 

*** 

A/N: mangagurl, lei_and_jing_4eva, fruityjuice98, fresher, Lei_and_Jing_, Haruka Minamino, Deldrem-wicca, piglet, Toinks, rui_shu, goodietwoshoez, cuppajava, Trevtrev --- THANK YOU for reading this & leaving your comments =)

I've actually posted this story in another site so I'm posting the rest of it all in one go. To you and all the others who've read silently so far, I hope you enjoy the story as much as I've enjoyed writing it. Oh and sorry for the formatting in some of the chapters, I had some problems with them and wasn't able to go back and fix them (due to time constraints). Anyway, thanks again and I hope to hear from all of you soon =)


	13. comfort me

Epilogue2: comfort me  
A/N: Anything you recognize from Meteor Garden I do not own.  
*** 

"Surprised?" he asked dryly. 

"What are you doing here?" she whispered in shock. 

"I'm here to give you this." He offered a hand out. 

"What…" she trailed off when she saw what was on his palm. "Is that supposed to be a joke?" she asked pointedly. 

"Aren't you going to invite me in?" he ignored her question. 

"I…" she looked nervous all of a sudden. 

"At least take this…" he offered her the item on his palm again. It was a quarter. 

She looked at him silently before she reached out to take the coin off his hand. Before she could withdraw, he had her hand in his grip. She gasped and looked at him nervously. "You're hurting me." 

Ximen almost smiled. He's hurting her? What about him? She hurt him a lot more than he had her. He sighed loudly. It wasn't the right time to go into that just yet. "Ask me in." his voice brooked no objection. Despite his casual attire, he was in his ruthless executive mode. 

She had no choice but to move aside to let him in. "My hand." 

He didn't let go until he was safely inside her apartment. "So that's where my shirt went." he meant to tease her but his voice came out harshly. 

She blushed. "Are you the only one with a white shirt?" she bluffed her way out of her embarrassment. 

"No. But I'm pretty sure that when I look under that shirt's hem I'll see my initials…" he dared her. 

"You want me to take it off then?" She challenged him. 

Ximen didn't answer. He was seriously considering asking her to do so. He missed seeing her body. Of course, he missed not only that. He missed her smile too. Her touch. Her voice. He sighed. He just missed her. Period. 

"Why did you really come here?" she sounded like she really didn't care one way or another. 

He walked towards her sofa and sat down, adopting an equally careless demeanor. "You have a nice place." He observed idly. 

"Thank you." Manners dictated that she answer. 

"Where is he?" he finally asked. 

"I don't know what you're talking about." she answered nonchalantly. 

"The one you were with this afternoon. Is he in your bedroom?" He added, daring her to deny it.  
  
"No." She answered waspishly, still not taking a seat. 

Ximen clenched his fists in frustration. "Don't lie to me." He fought to keep his voice even. 

"I'm not lying!" 

He couldn't stand it anymore. He had to know. He stood up and walked quickly towards her room. 

She scrambled to follow him. "Where do you think you're going?" 

He opened the door and looked in. "He's not here." 

"I told you he wasn't." she answered impatiently. "What's it to you anyway?" 

"What's it to me?" his control finally snapped. "What's it to me?" 

She backed away, suddenly afraid. 

He took a step towards her and flinched when he saw the fear in her eyes. "I'm not going to hurt you." 

She swallowed hard. "I know." She whispered. 

"Where is he?" Ximen asked again. 

She didn't answer. 

"Where's my son?" 

*** 

"Hello." Mei Zhou had been waiting impatiently for Ah Si's call. 

"He's in Canada." Ah Si answered Mei Zhou's unspoken question flatly. 

"And?" Mei Zhou prompted. 

"And nothing…" Ah Si sighed. He hoped Ximen doesn't lose his cool while there. 

"How's Shan Cai?" 

"Worried sick. Xiaoqiao?" 

"Guilty as hell." It seemed that the two women had known all along. 

"Have you heard from Lei yet?" 

Mei Zhou sighed loudly. "I hope he's okay." 

"You don't suppose Jing really got married do you?" 

Mei Zhou had no answer to that. "I hope for Lei's sake that she didn't go through with it." Lei had withdrawn so completely in the last three months that he and Ah Si had feared for their friend's sanity. 

"I could just strangle Shan Cai for ever thinking about that auction." Ah Si wasn't really serious of course. But it had pained him to see what had become of his two friends in its aftermath. If they'd feared for Lei's sanity, they'd feared for Ximen's health. He'd buried himself in work and alcohol that he was nearly hospitalized again, if not for Shan Cai's intervention. 

"Do you think things will work out?" Mei Zhou sounded uncharacteristically tentative. 

"Let's hope so." Ah Si answered. He didn't need to add "Or else." They both knew. 

*** 

Xiao You slumped in defeat. "How did you find out?" 

"Why?" Ximen asked painfully. 

"I…" she looked at a loss for words. She turned away from him and started walking towards the sofa instead. 

He followed her slowly and sat down across from her. 

"I didn't think you'd want to know." She finally answered. 

Ximen struggled for control. How could she think he wouldn't want to know? Had he made her believe he was so heartless as to not give a damn about his own son? "You didn't think I'd want to know about my own son?" 

She flinched at the leashed emotion evident in his words. "You never bothered to look for me…." Pain was also evident in her tone. 

"I…" this time it was Ximen who was at a loss for words. 

"I thought about telling you…." Her eyes had taken on a far-away look. "But then I read about your…I didn't want to…you weren't ready…" she shrugged helplessly. 

"Ready?" he asked dumbly. 

"You still changed women every week….I thought you wouldn't appreciate having your freedom curtailed…" she explained, her face taking on a pinched look. 

"Even so…I had a right to know." He nearly shouted in frustration. 

She flinched. "I did realize that….but by the time I finally had the courage to…it was too late." 

"Too late?" What did she mean by too late? 

She swallowed hard and started clenching and unclenching her fists unconsciously. 

Ximen looked on in alarm as he saw her start to rock, her lower lip whitening as she bit into it in an effort to gain some semblance of control. "Xiao You…" He was beside her in an instant. Reaching out to take her in his arms. Unable to help himself. 

"I'm so sorry…" she whispered brokenly as she fought to hold herself together. 

"Shhh…" he whispered back as he struggled to pull her in his arms, his insides writhing at her obvious pain. 

"I did everything right…" She looked like she wasn't completely aware of her surroundings. "I wanted him…he was my only reminder of you…" she struggled to convince him. 

Ximen could only stare at her helplessly. He was confused. She talked like… "What…" he couldn't complete the thought. 

She finally seemed to realize his confusion and looked at him. "You didn't know?" she asked, tears welling in her eyes. 

"Know what?" he asked, though he was suddenly afraid to find out, 

"I lost him…" her voice broke as the tears started rolling down her face. "I'm so sorry…." She added just before she threw her arms around him. She buried her face on his chest as though in shame. 

Ximen felt as though he'd been punched. Hard. He couldn't breathe. When he'd seen the boy she was with that afternoon, he thought… "Who was he? The boy you were with this afternoon?" he pulled her back so he could look at her. He had to know. 

"You thought…." she trailed off. "He's my sister's son." she added as she wrapped her arms around herself, her eyes looking as though she expected him to push her away. 

He felt like a balloon that had been deflated. He thought that the boy was his. "Where is he…." He asked about his son. 

She didn't answer for some time. She just stared at the wall sightlessly as her tears continued to fall unheeded down her face. Finally, she spoke. "I had him buried in Taiwan." 

Taiwan. His son had been in Taiwan all along and he never knew! "You must really hate me…" 

She was startled at the sheer lack of emotion in his words and quickly looked at him. "Ximen…" . 

"I would have come…" his tone was flat but his face reflected his torment. "Did your parents come?" he couldn't help but ask. 

She shook her head. "I didn't tell anyone." 

He closed his eyes in pain. He couldn't help but think about what it must have been like for her. Burying their son. All alone. "Could you show me where he is?" he asked quietly. "I'll pay for your fare. It's the least I can do." He added woodenly. 

"Shh…" she said quickly as she wrapped her arms around him. "I'm so sorry…" she whispered, willing him to cry. She knew he was in deep pain yet he still struggled to stay in control. 

"We should move him…" he continued as though talking about the weather. "My parents would….want …him to be in the…" his words had started to fumble as he struggled to contain his emotions, "…family mausoleum." His voice finally broke on the last word and he started to shake as the tears he'd been holding at bay suddenly fell. 

She didn't say anything. She couldn't. She just continued to hold and rock him in her arms as he cried. 

His tears fell. Not silently. But with heaving sobs. Unable to stop. Unable to do anything else but hold on to her. He cried for the son he never knew. The son he never got to see. The son he never even got to say goodbye to. 

She cried too. 

And they stayed like that. Their arms wrapped around each other. 

Both seeking comfort. 

Each giving succor. 

Not questioning why. 

Only knowing. 

That only the other can soothe their own pain. 

***   
A/N: Okay…I know you're all probably ready to kill me for dragging this story's ending. I really wanted to end it with this chapter but I found that I couldn't quite close it just yet. I actually planned having Ximen find out that he had a 5-yr-old son with Xiao You but then I found myself writing this instead. I'm so sorry for disappointing you guys. Anyway, tell me what you think. 


	14. letting go

Epilogue3: letting go 

A/N: Anything you recognize from Meteor Garden, I do not own.  
 *** 

Finally, after seemingly like hours, their crying subsided. Not because they'd stopped mourning. But rather because their eyes refused to shed any more tears. At least, for the time being. Still, they stayed entwined. 

Each loathe to release the other. 

Both unaware of the other's fear, that somehow, the other would vanish and leave each to their own loneliness. 

"Please let me stay…" he begged as he tightened his arms around her. 

She didn't say anything. She just continued stroking his hair and kept her arms around him. 

*** 

He woke up with stiff back and arms. It seemed that he'd fallen asleep on the couch. With her. Their arms were still around each other with his head resting on her chest. He was afraid to move, lest he wake her up.   
He breathed in deeply to take in her unique scent and unconsciously tightened his arms around her. 

He would have liked to stay that way for a longer time, but he found himself suddenly being pushed off her without ceremony. 

"What the…" he was unable to prevent the words from escaping his lips, forgetting that he was supposed to still be asleep. 

She didn't pay him any heed. She just moved hurriedly, almost at a run, towards her bedroom. 

He got up and followed her curiously. What was wrong with her? His steps faltered when he saw her bedroom in the clear light of day. It was so feminine. So like her. He realized that she'd gone to the bathroom and he took the time to look around the room. He should have felt uneasy standing in the middle of such a feminine room, but somehow, felt right at home. He didn't stop to question why that was so. 

He was about to sit down on her bed when he saw it. 

He started to reach out for it but then the bathroom door suddenly opened. 

"What are you doing?" she asked, her hand still holding the knob. 

He snatched back his hand guiltily. "I…." 

She quickly marched over and snatched the item that he was reaching for. "Who told you to come in here?" she asked coldly, their moment of amity from the night before, all but forgotten. 

"Who is that for?" he asked, ignoring the coldness in her voice. 

She didn't answer. Instead, she opened a drawer and threw the item inside. 

"Are you…" 

"What? Am I what?" she turned around to look at him. 

"When?" he asked. "Were you even going to tell me?" 

"Why are you really here?" she ignored his questions. 

"I…" he didn't know what to say. He finally settled on, "I missed you." 

She looked startled at his admission, looking like she wasn't quite sure if he was telling the truth. 

"Why look so surprised?" he asked. "You don't think I'm capable of missing someone?" 

She turned away to hide the expression on her face. "No. But I wasn't sure you were capable of admitting such a weakness." 

"You think missing someone is a weakness?" he was surprised. 

"No. But you do, don't you?" she retorted. "Well, you used to." She looked back at him in question.  
He returned her gaze without flinching. "I missed you." He repeated the words, willing her to believe him. 

"Ximen…" she began. 

But he cut her off. "I missed you. So damn bad that sometimes I couldn't sleep." 

She just looked at him silently. 

"And when I do get to sleep, I dream of you leaving me and I wake up reaching out for you..." 

"We only spent two nights together…" she reasoned, unable to believe his words. 

"Three." He corrected her. "Funny huh?" he asked self-deprecatingly. 

"So you came all the way here because I gave you insomnia, is that it?" 

"No. I came all the way here because I missed you." 

"You missed me so bad you kept dating other women." She said pointedly. 

"I never slept with any of them." 

"You expect me to believe that?" 

"Do you see me laughing?" Ximen asked. 

"But…" 

"I've dated a number of women since the wedding, but I've never taken any of them to bed." 

"So should I then do the dance of joy?" her words were laced with sarcasm. "Yipee!" 

"I know I've given you little cause to believe me, but I am telling the truth." 

"It's just lack of sleep talking," she sought to end the conversation by turning away and walking towards the door. 

He stopped her from leaving by holding on to her arm. "I need you." 

"You don't mean what you're saying." She didn't turn around. 

"I need you." He repeated the words. 

"Look, if this is about what you learned last night then please stop. I'm not blaming you in any way so you don't have to feel guilty." 

"Who told you that it's guilt that's making me say these things?" 

"Isn't it?" She finally turned to look at him. "If you hadn't learned about the baby, would you have come to see me at all?" she asked. 

"I didn't know about the baby before I came here. When I saw you with your nephew, he looked so much like you and was wearing glasses like me that I thought he was ours. He looked to be the right age too, that's why I was looking for him when I got here." 

She could only look at him in surprise.  
"I came because I realized that I couldn't let another six years to go by without telling you how I feel. I came because every night has been a torture for me since you've left. I came because I know that I can't function without you by my side. I came because I love you." 

*** 

"Wei." 

"Mei Zhou. Lei." 

"Lei! Where are you? Are you okay?" Mei Zhou's words ran over each other. 

"Relax. I'm great!" 

"Did she marry…" 

"She did!" 

Mei Zhou was confused. "She did…but why are you…" 

"Happy?" Laughter was evident in Lei's voice. "She did marry. She married me." 

"What?!" 

"I just called to tell you that she and I will be home in two weeks. We're going to Paris first." 

"You actually got married without us?" 

"I didn't want to give her time to change her mind." 

"That's always a good move." Mei Zhou answered dryly. 

"Well, tell Ah Si and Ximen okay? We'll have a second wedding when we go back." 

"Okay bro. Congratulations!" 

"Thanks." 

*** 

"Say something." He whispered. 

"What do you want me to say?" she asked. 

"Anything." 

"I don't love you." She said the words without inflection. 

"Liar!" he whispered, although his knees weakened upon hearing her answer. 

She was surprised at the vehemence in his voice. "Isn't that like the pot calling the kettle black?" she asked him pointedly. 

"I never lied to you." He insisted. 

"And you think I just did?" 

"Why did you make love with me again if you didn't feel anything for me at all?" 

"Why did you sleep with your mei meis?" 

"That's different." He flushed at her rebuke. 

"Oh? How is it different then?" 

"Because you said yourself that you're not a player like me." 

"And you think I had sex with you again because I love you?" she made it sound like she found the concept quite funny. 

"Don't." he whispered. "Don't make it sound so sordid. We made love." 

She couldn't help it. She laughed. 

"Stop it!" he wanted to shake some sense into her. "Last night's actions weren't those of a person who didn't care." 

"You just caught me at a weak moment." 

"Then give me a chance to know you at your strength." 

"And then what?" she whispered. "So you could push me away again?" 

"I won't." 

"Why not? What has changed?" 

"I love you." 

"It's too late Ximen. My love for you died with our baby." 

Her words stabbed Ximen like a knife. "I thought you said, you didn't blame me." He croaked. 

"I don't." she whispered. "Nobody was to blame." 

"And our week together? What was that supposed to be then?" 

"That was goodbye." 

"No! I don't believe you." He knew he was sounding desperate. He didn't care. He'd beg if he had to. 

"Just let me go Ximen. Please." It was her who begged instead. 

He pulled her into his arms, not caring in the least that she resisted. "I can't." he whispered as he tightened his arms around hers. 

She just stood in his embrace. Not reacting. Not even pushing him away. 

"Don't make me…" He couldn't help but choke on the words. "Please Xiao You…give me another chance." He pleaded brokenly. "Do you want me to kneel?" he asked as he pulled away to look down at her. "I will…" he added as his knelt down, not caring in the least if she thought him weak. 

"Stop…Ximen, get up." She pulled at him.  
"Please…" he begged. "I'm sorry for not coming after you six years ago. I'm sorry for not coming sooner this time…" 

"Stop…" she whispered. 

"Tell me what you want me to do. I'll do it. Just…please…" his words ran over each other, his shoulders shaking as he tried to stop himself from crying. 

"Let me go." 

The finality of her words broke Ximen's fragile hold on his control. 

With those words, he realized at last that it was over. 

So he did what she asked of him. 

He let her go. 

***   
  



	15. never give up

Chapter 15: never give up 

A/N: Anything Meteor Garden you recognize, I do not own. 

*** 

"Flight 213 bound for Taipei, boarding now at gate 10" the voice over the speaker shouted out at the Toronto International Airport. 

Ximen gave a loud sigh as he gathered his bags together. It had been more than 24 hours since Xiao You had asked him to let her go. He'd left her apartment barely able to walk, his breathing erratic as he envisioned the rest of his life without her. Mei Zhou and Ah Si had by turns called him, making sure that he was alright. He'd strove to reassure them. He was alright. After all, he was still breathing wasn't he? He could still stand. He could still walk. Of course, they didn't know that every breath had become an agony. Or that he felt like curling up whenever he stood. Or that his footsteps had gone heavier and heavier as he walked away from her. Maybe God was punishing him for all the times he'd gone after womae and then dropped them after a week. Still, he wished that Xiao You could have given him a chance. 

"Flight 213 bound for Taipei, boarding now at gate 10" the words echoed throughout the airport terminal once again. 

He took one last look at his surroundings before finally walking towards the boarding platform. He supposed it would be the last time he'd ever be in Toronto. He knew it would be too painful to come back. Even for business purposes. No. He was never coming back here again. At least, not until he'd learned to forget her. 

*** 

Flight 213 had barely lifted off when Flight 27 from Taipei started deplaning on gate 25. 

Among those who got off was Dao Ming Shan Cai. She was greeted by a woman with similarly Chinese features, slightly shorter than her, as soon as she got out of the gate. The two women stared at each other briefly before the shorter one launched herself into Shan Cai's arms, shoulders heaving as she struggled to contain her tears. 

*** 

"I drove him away." Xiao You's words echoed baldly in her apartment as Shan Cai sat across from her. 

"Why?" Shan Cai asked, wondering at the ravaged look in her friend's face. 

"Because…" Xiao You couldn't continue. Her tears, falling down her face once again. 

Shan Cai didn't say anything. She just moved to sit next to her friend and gathered the younger woman in her arms. "Shh…." She whispered as she stroked Xiao You's hair. 

"Shan Cai, I'm pregnant again." Xiao You raised her head off her friend's shoulder as she said the words. 

"Again?" Shan Cai looked at the younger woman in confusion. 

Xiao You flushed. "I…" she trailed off as she hugged Shan Cai once again. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you before…" her words were muffled as she pressed her face on her friend's shoulders. 

"Tell me what?" 

And so Xiao You told Shan Cai about her pregnancy six years before and how it had ended in tragedy. 

"Did Ximen…" Shan Cai started to ask. 

Xiao You nodded. "We both cried for our baby last night." 

"Does he know about your pregnancy now?" The taller woman asked gently. 

Xiao You shook her head. "I didn't tell him," she answered in a small voice. 

"Why?" Shan Cai struggled to understand. 

"He said he loved me." Her answer was no answer at all. 

"I don't understand. If he loves you, why did you drive him away?" Shan Cai's face was a picture of confusion. 

"I didn't think he'd leave." 

"So you still love him?" Shan Cai hazarded a guess. 

Xiao You nodded. "I'm so stupid!" she wailed. 

Shan Cai refrained from nodding her head in agreement. It was probably hormones that made her friend act the way she did. She wondered if she'd ever acted the same way when she was pregnant and couldn't for the life of her, remember. "Are you going to tell him at all?" 

"I suppose I should…" 

"Xiao You!" Shan Cai couldn't help the note of impatience from creeping into her voice. 

"But he's given up." Xiao You whispered. 

"Has that ever stopped you before?" 

Xiao You looked at her best friend for a long time before she finally smiled and shook her head. 

"Play up Xiao You! Jia you!" 

*** 

Lei could only stare at the sleeping woman by his side. She was so beautiful. His wife. He smiled to himself as he sounded out her name in his head. 

Hua Ze Jing. 

Who'd have thought they'd end up together after ten long years of being apart? He really thought he'd gotten over her when he'd rejected her in this very same city a decade ago. He'd wondered about her briefly from time to time but had gone on with his life in relative recluse. He hadn't thought to question why it was that every time he'd met someone, he'd ended up comparing her to Jing. Not Shan Cai. But Jing. He'd explained it away as guilt. He felt guilty comparing his women to Shan Cai and so had compared them to his childhood friend and sweetheart instead. Funny how one can delude themselves into thinking one thing yet actually know the truth deep in their unconscious. 

"What are you thinking?" her voice broke into his reverie. 

Lei smiled at Jing in the dark. "You." He answered simply. 

She smiled back. "You're such a sweet-talker…" she teased him, disbelief evident in her voice. 

"Only with you." He whispered as he pulled her gently back into his arms. "I love you." 

"I love you too." She whispered back. 

"Do you want a grand wedding when we go back to Taiwan?" he asked. 

She thought about it for a while before finally answering. "Not really. Our wedding was perfect the way it was." They had gotten married the very same day they'd seen each other again at the church, with only God and the priest as witnesses. 

"Still, I'm sure your parents would like us to have something grander." He insisted. 

She shook her head. "They'd long since given up on me ever marrying. I'm pretty sure they'll be glad that I got married at all." 

"Was there really a fiancé?" Lei had to know. 

She laughed. "No, but it got you to the altar did it?" 

"I would have gotten there without that little bit of false information." He hugged her tighter. 

"I guess….only it would have take you another ten years…" she bantered. 

"Couldn't wait to sink your claws into me huh?" he teased. 

"I wanted to have a baby with you." She answered simply. "My biological clock is ticking you know." 

He couldn't help the joyous leap his heart took at hearing her words. He wanted that too. A baby for both of them. "Well then, why don't we go to work then." 

"Now?" she asked in disbelief. 

"And always." He whispered just before he bent down to kiss her. 

"Always huh?" she managed to tease him before passion claimed the both of them. 

*** 

At a hotel somewhere, an Asian man stared at himself in the mirror, wondering where his senses had gone. 

"So how come you didn't' leave?" he asked his reflection as he took in the sorry state of his features. His eyes, which could charm the hardest of hearts when he smiled, stared at him lifelessly behind his glasses. His mouth, painted into a frown. 

He transferred his gaze to the unused plane ticket by the sink and could only laugh hollowly at himself. He had really been set to leave. He'd gone as far as the boarding platform before he hastily turned around and started walking towards the airport's exit. Despite the fact that he'd heard finality in her words as she asked him to let her go, he just couldn't. It didn't matter to him if she didn't love him anymore. He wasn't going to give up. He couldn't! He loved her too much. He wasn't like Lei who'd selflessly given up his love for Shan Cai. 

He was selfish! 

He loved her enough to work hard to make her fall in love with him again. He just couldn't give up! He'd done that six years before when he hadn't gone after her despite the fact that every fiber in his being had hungered for her. He'd lost his son without ever having known about him because of stubbornness and pride. Well, he wasn't going to go the same route again! 

It was time to put his killer business instincts to use. He'd never failed to succeed in any business venture that he'd gone after in the last ten years. So how could he possibly give her up just like that? He'd worked ruthlessly to achieve whatever goals he'd set for himself even when the goal was not a matter of life or death. Could he do less now when the rest of his life was at stake? 

Quickly, he made calls. One to his father, so the older Ximen could once again take over the business while he stayed in Toronto. One to his mother so she wouldn't worry about his long absence from Taiwan. One to Mei Zou to reassure his friend of his well being. One to Lei to ask how he was doing. And the last one to Ah Si to get him to recruit Shan Cai to champion his cause to her friend. 

He smiled after the last call. Shan Cai was here! It gave him hope. If Xiao You had called her best friend, then it must mean that she wasn't as unaffected about their parting as she'd made out to be. 

It must mean that he still affected her. Never mind if he affected her negatively. It was still something. He could work with that. 

He was Ximen Zhong er Lang after all! 

Time to get to work. 

*** 

A/N: **the title for this chapter came from a song with those lyrics...not sure if it's from seawind...do any of you know that song and who sang it? the phrase goes something like this: 

"and i will never give up  
i'll never give up  
never believe that love just fades away..." 

please tell me if you know...thanks =) 


	16. chances are

Chapter 16: chances are 

A/N: I do not own Meteor Garden nor any of its characters. Just borrowing them for this story. Thanks

***

Morning sickness' a bitch! 

Xiao You sighed as she, once again, realized that basic truth. If she were to go by her experience the first time six years ago, she knew she had about a week or so left of this. How she wished the days would go faster so she can finally enjoy her pregnancy! She wondered if Shan Cai was already awake. Maybe she could ask her friend to get her some crackers. She looked at the clock on her bathroom counter and saw that it was just 7AM. She had about an hour left before she had to get ready for work. She gave a loud sigh as she geared herself to get up off the floor and walk back towards her bedroom. 

She had just reached her bed when the door to her bedroom opened. Expecting it to be Shan Cai, Xiao You didn't bother to look up but just slid inside the covers. "I hope you come bearing crackers…" 

"Nope, no crackers." A masculine voice answered her. 

A very familiar-sounding masculine voice. 

Xiao You looked up quickly in surprise. It couldn't be… 

"Ximen!" 

"I brought you pancakes with butter and maple syrup, fresh strawberries and cream, coffee and orange juice." Ximen itemized the fare he was carrying on a tray as he gave her a smile as though it wasn't anything out of the ordinary for him to be bringing her breakfast. 

It was a good thing Xiao You was so surprised to see him, otherwise her senses would have had time to process the fact that the food he'd just described actually made her want to vomit. She never could take anything other than crackers in the morning during her pregnancy. "But…" 

"You thought I'd left?" 

Xiao You nodded dumbly. 

"I'm not going anywhere." Ximen answered matter-of-factly, silently adding "without you" to the sentence. "It'll take more than words to make me stay away from you so you better get used to seeing me." He added a bit more belligerently than he intended. 

"Shan Cai…" she asked, grasping at any excuse not to have to discuss the state of their 'relationship.' 

"…was kind enough to let me in and have me prepare you breakfast. She went out for a while and said she'll be back in an hour…" 

Xiao You wondered what Ximen had told her best friend to get Shan Cai to leave them alone. "I'm not hungry." She answered him just to be contrary. 

"Oh…well then, maybe we could just…" Ximen was at a loss as to what to do given her lack of interest in breakfast. "Are you sick?" 

Xiao You blushed, uncertain whether to tell him about her pregnancy or not. She hadn't told anyone about it yet, afraid to jinx it. She wouldn't have told Shan Cai about it but she had just been too upset when she thought Ximen had left her for good. 

The truth was, she was so afraid that this pregnancy would end up like her previous one. She'd lost her baby about five months into the pregnancy. She'd just suddenly bled. Her grief had been so overwhelming that she'd ended up having to seek professional help. It had been a slow process. It had taken years of therapy. Her parents had wondered why she'd withdrawn so completely into herself but she'd never been able to tell them. She'd taken refuge in her business and in making it grow. She was sure that if it hadn't been for that, she'd have wasted away. Her return to Taiwan to see Ximen again had been an effort on her part to put the past behind. 

She'd told Ximen the truth when she said she didn't blame him. At least not now. That hadn't always been the case. In the last six years, she'd blamed alternately herself and Ximen for her baby's death. It was only when she'd been with him again that she finally came to terms with the loss and learned to forgive both him and herself. She hadn't really planned on spending the week with him the way they did. She was just supposed to see him and tell him about the baby and then leave so she could begin to forget him. Finally. 

What was it again they said about the best-laid plans? 

Now, she was back where she started. 

She was pregnant by him. Again. She was afraid. Again. And she loved him. Still. 

"Are you okay?" Ximen asked tentatively in concern. She looked like she'd drifted off to some deep dark place. Fear and sadness could be read in her expression. 

Was she okay? Xiao You didn't know the answer. 

"I can cook you something different if you want…" he offered tentatively. 

She looked at him, uncertain of what to say. "Can you get me some seedless grapes please?" she asked, not because she was craving for the fruit, but rather to get him out of her hair for a while so she can process her thoughts and feelings. 

Ximen was surprised at the request. He knew he should find it odd that she would want to eat seedless grapes so early in the morning but could only be glad that she was talking to him at all. "I'll be back in a couple of minutes." He answered as he backed out of the room, still carrying the tray he'd brought with him. 

Xiao You was left pondering on what his presence meant. 

*** 

"When are you coming home?" Ah Si's plaintive voice asked from across the world. 

Shan Cai sighed. "Ah Si! I've only been here a day." She answered in exasperation. 

"So? I miss you already." 

"I miss you too, but Xiao You needs me now." More than ever. Shan Cai wasn't sure if she should tell her husband about her best friend's condition. But then remembered that Ximen had yet to find out. 

"Which reminds me, Ximen called. He's still there." 

"I know." She answered. "I just left him with her," she added, mentally crossing her fingers that Xiao You won't get angry at her for leaving them alone. 

"It's so noisy there." Ah Si complained. "Where are you calling from?" 

"I'm outside, I figured they wanted to talk privately." 

"What's wrong with her anyway? Can't you just leave Ximen to take care of her?" 

Shan Cai supposed she could do that. After all, Ximen had looked like he'd made it his life's mission to take care of her friend. "I can't…" she acknowledged. "At least, not yet." 

Ah Si held back an angry retort. It wouldn't really do to pick a fight with his wife. Once she made up her mind about something, it was difficult to get her to change her mind. "Fine. Just try to come home soon, okay?" 

"Okay. Love you." 

"Love you too." 

*** 

"I'm back." Ximen called out after knocking on Xiao You's bedroom door. 

"Come in." she called out, surprised at how quickly he'd come back. She had just finished taking a shower and getting dressed for work.  
"I didn't know which kind you preferred so I brought all I could…" his words trailed off as he noted her appearance. "You're going out?" 

"Of course. I have work." She answered as she went about brushing her hair. She had a difficult time choosing what to wear because of her expanding middle. She thought she'd succeeded in hiding the slight bulge with the flower-printed blouse she'd chosen. 

"But…shouldn't you rest? You look a bit sick." 

"Thanks." Xiao You answered dryly. 

"What kind of work do you do?" Ximen asked, not that he didn't know, because he already did. He'd done his research last night. He asked because he didn't want her to know that he'd asked around about her. 

"Let's not fool each other okay? I'm sure you've already had me investigated so you know I have my own bakeshop." 

Ximen blushed at her response. "Was just making conversation…" he mumbled as he looked down at his shoes. 

Xiao You sighed loudly. "You know very well I'm not buying your 'uncertain schoolboy' act." 

He couldn't help it. He had to laugh. She really knew him so well. "You've done really well with your business." He told her, not without a hint of pride in his voice. He'd been surprised to realize that the brand of chocolate chip brownie he and his friends loved to munch on were hers. No wonder Shan Cai always had them in her fridge. She introduced them to him and he'd surprised even himself when he found himself addicted to the stuff. He'd never been much of a sweets person. 

"Thanks." She answered, blushing a bit at the compliment she heard in his voice. "We'd gone national with our products after just 2 years of starting and have gone international in two more." 

"I know." He answered. It hadn't occurred to him that she'd have her own desserts business. She'd been a stockbroker when she went to attend Shan Cai's wedding. 

"I started the business after…." She didn't need to continue. They both knew. It was after she'd lost her baby. Their baby. 

"Did you have a partner?" Ximen asked to get them off the sensitive topic. His research last night had not come up with one but he couldn't quite believe she could pull it off without some sort of help from others. 

"The recipes were all mine. I had some financial help from my parents but I did everything else. It was only supposed to be a bakeshop after all." 

"How did you go national? With the products I mean?" The businessman in Ximen couldn't help but ask. 

"An executive from a major food manufacturer approached me about the mass production of my chocolate chip brownie about a year into the business. I was hesitant at first, I mean I was perfectly happy with the way my shop was doing…but they were so persistent and they assured me that the quality will not suffer so I finally agreed." 

"And the rest is history." 

Xiao You nodded. 

"So…aren't you entitled to an off day?" Ximen asked. He was still worried about her after all. 

Xiao You laughed. "Real subtle Ximen." She teased him. "Actually, I am, but I'm really feeling much better now. Besides, I already took a day off yesterday." 

"Can I go with you?" Ximen didn't want to push his luck really, but he figured, what the heck? It was worth a try wasn't it? 

Xiao You had no idea what just happened. Wasn't it only two days ago when she'd asked him to let her go? Why was she even talking to him now? Why was he still here even? "Because you still love him." The voice in her head answered one of the questions. "And he loves you," the voice continued, answering the other question. 

"Only if you promise not to make 'helpful' suggestions to improve my business." She finally answered. What could it hurt after all? The truth was, she wanted to spend a day with him too. She needed to. 

"Great!" Ximen answered enthusiastically. 

"Can you just put those in the ref first?" she pointed to the bags of grapes he was still holding on to. 

"Oh…okay." He'd forgotten about them. But he turned around quickly to comply. 

"Now what?" Xiao You asked herself. She supposed it was time to give him a chance. She owed him as much. She owed it to herself too. 

Unconsciously, her hands went to her tummy. 

She owed it to her baby as well. 

"Please God…" she whispered. "…please let me keep my baby this time" she prayed. 

*** 

Xiao You ended up touring both Ximen and Shan Cai to bakeshop and to the manufacturing plant of her products. She showed them how the business operated. How each individual product is made and packaged. How it was marketed. And how she normally spent her day when working. She found that she enjoyed showing her best friend and her…them around. She also basked in the pride she saw in Ximen's eyes. He was probably unaware of it, but he's had a hand in the way her life has turned out. 

Shan Cai had known about the business for quite some time, but she'd never seen the actual place of business. She was amazed at how far Xiao You had come. Shan Cai regretted not having been there to help her friend, especially when she was having a difficult time because of the baby she lost. But Xiao You had survived and had turned her life around. She looked at her best friend and the man who'd been responsible for much of what had happened in her friend's life and couldn't help but marvel at how things have turned out. Life really had a way of coming full circle. 

Ximen couldn't help but grin like a fool the whole time. He'd never been so proud of anyone else in his entire life. He hadn't thought it possible that he could fall any more in love with Xiao You than he already was, but he realized he was wrong. He knew he would have continued to love her even if she had nothing but knowing about her success despite all the odds had touched something in himself. She really was his equal in all the ways there were. He vowed once again to do everything in his power to get her to realize this too. 

*** 

It was late when they finally went back to Xiao You's apartment. Shan Cai had excused herself immediately, saying she needed to call and check up on Ah Si and the kids. Ximen and Xiao You were left staring at each other in the living room. Both recalling the events of two nights before. 

"Thanks for showing us around." Ximen began, a little bit awkwardly. 

"Uhm…I hope you weren't bored." 

"Of course not!" Ximen was quick to reassure her. "I'm…I had a great time actually." 

Xiao You didn't say anything. 

"Xiao You…." Ximen began. 

She looked at him in question. 

"Thank you." 

"For what?" 

"For giving me a chance…to be with you…to see you work…to…" 

"Why did you come back?" 

Ximen tried to assess his chances. He moved closer to her and picked up her hands. They were cold and he sought to warm them by enfolding them in his. She didn't pull away and he breathed a little bit easier. "I didn't lie when I said I loved you." 

"Ximen…" she knew it was time to tell him. 

"Shh. I know you don't love me anymore…" he managed to say the words eventhough it pained him to do so. "But if you would just give me another chance…maybe you could learn to love me again." 

"Ximen…" she interrupted him. 

He ignored her interruption. He talked faster. "I promise I won't push…I won't make too many demands…I…just….please…" He knew he should be feeling disgusted at himself for begging, but he continued anyway, "please…don't send me away again…" 

"I…" How can she send him away now? 

"Please." He raised one of her hands to his chest. Willing her to feel the truth behind his words. He kissed the other hand. Breathed her in. 

She couldn't help it. She removed her hands from under his and placed them on either side of his face and raised it up so their eyes could meet. 

She looked at him intently. 

He looked back unflinchingly. 

And so she bent down to give him a kiss. 

A gentle kiss. 

A healing kiss. 

He closed his eyes in relief and took her in his arms. Hugging her. Enjoying her warmth. "Thank you." Was all he could say. 

Xiao You knew she should tell him about the baby. About how she really felt. But she didn't want to ruin the moment. So she just held on. There'll be time enough to tell him. Hopefully, she wouldn't lose her baby again. And Ximen, along with it. 

***   
 


	17. just because

Chapter 17: just because 

Disclaimer: I do not own any of the MG characters. 

***

Ximen woke up feeling quite numb on his right side. He almost panicked, thinking maybe he'd had a stroke while sleeping, before his brain finally told him why that was so. He slowly opened his eyes, afraid that it had all been a dream. 

It wasn't. 

She was really there. 

Beside him. 

Slowly, the events of the previous night came back to him. They had talked so long that finally, she'd decided to let him stay the night. He had already freshened up and changed into the shirt she'd 'accidentally' brought with her from their weekend at his beach house along with his boxers, when she finally came out from her bedroom wearing her nightclothes and bearing his beddings for the night. They then ended up talking again and must have fallen asleep on the couch together. 

Unable to help himself, he slowly bent his head to kiss her. 

But then she woke up with a start. 

And before they could both react. 

It happened. 

*** 

Shan Cai sat up quickly, unsure of what exactly it was that woke her up. She strained her ears but couldn't hear anything. "Must have been a dream." she thought and shrugged just before she lay back down on the bed. She had already closed her eyes intending to go back to sleep when she heard it. 

The sound of someone retching. 

Violently. 

"Xiao You!" she thought and would have ran to the next room to help her friend immediately, but then she heard something else. 

The sound of a distinctly male voice. 

A very worried male voice. 

"Ximen?" Shan Cai wondered. What was he doing here? She looked at the clock on the bedside table. It was only 6AM. Did that mean that he slept over? It took her about a minute or so to think about what to do next. Should she go over and ask Xiao You if she needed her help? Or should she just leave them both alone to talk? 

Slowly, quietly, she got out of bed and walked towards her bedroom's half-open door. But instead of opening it further, she closed it decisively instead. With her, still inside the room. And before she could change her mind, she went back to bed, switched her portable CD player on and pulled on the headphones that came with it. 

Maybe it was time that Ximen knew. 

*** 

They could only stare at each other with identical looks of horror. 

Ximen, with surprise, unable to believe what had happened. 

Xiao You, with self-disgust, unable to believe what had happened too. 

She had just thrown up. 

Violently. 

All over his shirt. 

"I'm so sorry…" was all Xiao You could say just before she quickly ran towards her bedroom. 

Ximen's surprise was quickly replaced with concern. Was she sick? He followed her once again into her bedroom, uncaring of the fact that his shirt was ruined. Or that he smelled of vomit. 

"Xiao You…" he called out from the other side of her bathroom door and tried to open it. 

It was locked. 

"Baby, are you sick?" 

Xiao You meanwhile was groaning as she continued to retch over the toilet bowl, while silently berating herself for allowing it to happen in the first place. She usually had more control. She'd never ever thrown up without reaching the bathroom first. Why, oh why had it happened just now? 

Once she had her retching under control, she realized there was really nothing to flush down the toilet. It had all been dry heaves. She flushed the toilet nonetheless just before she went to the sink to splash water all over her face and to gargle. As soon as she was through, she stared at her reflection in the mirror and asked herself why her first violent heaving couldn't have been dry too? As it was, she'd just left Ximen with evidence of her morning sickness. 

"Xiao You…what's wrong with you? Please let me in." Ximen continued to plead from the other side of the door as he kept on turning the knob. 

Slowly, with trepidation, Xiao You opened the door. 

"Are you okay?" were his first words to her when their eyes met. 

She nodded slowly and couldn't help but grimace when the smell of her own vomit hit her nose as soon as she stepped out of the bathroom. 

Ximen noted the expression on her face and only just then realized what he must smell like. Quickly, without even thinking it through, he took off his soiled shirt, threw it over her head into the bathroom and quickly closed the door after her. The move left both of them just inches apart, her back to the door, his right hand still on the knob, almost around her waist. 

Xiao You forgot about her morning sickness. She forgot about her embarrassment at having thrown up at him. She forgot about Shan Cai sleeping on the other side of her bedroom wall. All she could focus on were his eyes and the way his chest almost pressed unto her torso. 

Ximen forgot about his question. He forgot that she had just been violently sick. He forgot about the fact that he'd just left her bedroom door open behind him. All he could focus on was the way she had just licked her lips and the way her breath had seemed to hitch at his proximity. 

"Xiao You…" he began, wanting to ask something but found himself unable to remember what it was. So instead, he waited for her to say something. 

But she didn't say anything. She just continued looking at him. 

Waiting. 

And before they could both think further, he'd made his move. 

The first touch of lips upon lips was unlike any other kiss they'd shared before. 

It wasn't the heat, because they had kissed quite heatedly before. It wasn't the passion, because they too have shared passionate ones before. And it wasn't the wonder, because their first kiss held even more wonder for both. 

It was the fact that they felt less of these emotions, and yet more. 

To Ximen, it was nothing short of a miracle. After all, hadn't it been just days before that she'd told him she wanted nothing more to do with him? 

To Xiao You, it was nothing short of amazing. After all, hadn't it been just days before that he seemed to have given up on her? 

"I love you." 

The words swirled between them as soon as they stopped to take a breath. 

Neither knew who said them. 

But both heard. 

And because the words were out, neither let go. 

Ximen stepped even closer and Xiao You met him halfway. He slid his arms around her waist, lifting her up to better maintain their contact. She raised her arms towards his shoulders and wrapped them around his neck to better anchor herself to him. 

That single kiss turned into two. 

And then into three. 

Four. 

More. 

Ximen's lips trailed down from her lips, to her chin, to her neck and lower. 

He groaned. 

She moaned. 

Her hands felt hot on his skin. 

She felt branded by his heat. 

He moved his right leg in between hers, both to support her weight and to feel her heat. 

She gasped at the contact and could only rest her head helplessly on the bathroom door as he continued to wreak havoc on her senses. 

Nothing should have felt novel, after all they'd done it a number of times before. Yet, everything felt new. 

Each kiss. 

Each touch. 

Each nip. 

Each suck. 

"Bed…" she could barely whisper. 

"Can't walk…" he could only murmur. 

She threaded her fingers into his hair and pulled to kiss him once more as he finally gathered enough strength to carry her towards the bed. He wanted to take more time with her, but couldn't seem to wait. He could barely muster the energy to take her nightshirt off so he only pushed it up and unceremoniously pulled her panties off. His boxers followed quickly and they both moaned at the contact of bare skin upon bare skin. 

With mouths fused, Ximen made the final move that bound them together. 

She gasped as he struggled to catch his breath. 

She arched towards him as her fingers slid down from his head to his back. 

He bowed towards her as his fingers threaded their way unto her hair. 

She didn't even wince when his fingers tightened on her hair and pulled at her scalp. 

He didn't even grimace when her fingernails raked and scratched down his back. 

All they cared about was sharing each other's essence. 

And heat. 

Ahd wetness. 

Back and forth. 

Up and down. 

Until finally… 

with long drawn-out sighs… 

they were home. 

*** 

They must have slept afterwards, because when they finally regained their senses, it was past 10AM. Ximen was the first to move. Not away from her though, but rather closer as he turned both of them so she was lying on top of him. He slowly ran his fingers through her hair as he waited for her to awaken. 

Xiao You woke up to the feel of his fingers on her hair and his body's heat through her nightshirt. She slowly raised her head up and met his gaze. 

"Good morning." He greeted her tentatively, not quite sure if she'll push him away. 

And because she sensed his hesitation and uncertainty, her cautiousness melted away and she found herself rising up to give him a soft kiss on the lips, just before she whispered, "Good morning," right back at him. 

Although the room was still dark because of the drawn blinds, Xiao You could almost swear it had lit up when Ximen's smile broke through at her greeting. She nearly complained when he closed his eyes but then he quickly opened them once again and hugged her so tightly, she almost couldn't breathe. 

"I take it you're happy to wake up next to me." She teased him. 

"Ecstatic." He answered her seriously. 

"I…" she didn't know quite what to say after, but he saved her from having to come up with anything by sitting up and taking her along with him. 

"Come on." He told her. 

"Where to?" she wondered. 

"Let's take a bath." He answered just before he stood up and proceeded to pick her up off the bed and to bring her to the bathroom. He kicked his soiled shirt out of the bathroom and laid her gently to sit on the rim of the tub. He then opened the taps, adjusted the water's temperature and waited for the bathtub to fill up. 

"I could get used to this you know…" she teased him once again. 

He turned to look at her intently and just as seriously as before, answered, "Please?" 

"Huh?" she asked in confusion. 

He smiled at her and moved so he was kneeling between her legs. "I'm begging you to please get used to this…so I can stay forever by your side." He whispered as he ran his hands slowly from her knees to her thighs and under them. 

"I…" Xiao You couldn't think past the sensations his touch was eliciting. It was the feel of the water on her behind that finally pulled her back to earth. "The water…" she squealed as she anchored herself by holding on to his shoulders. 

He turned the taps off without moving away from her and ended up drawing their torsos closer together. He would have given her a kiss but then she pushed him away, closed her legs, turned around and slid into the water without taking her shirt off. 

Once she was settled on one side of the tub, she crooked her finger at him. 

He didn't need to be asked twice. 

*** 

The water had long gone cold, but the two of them were still in the tub. Bubbly water was all over the floor, with her nightshirt soaking most of it up. His back was resting on her chest, her legs on either side of his waist with her arms wrapped around him from behind. His hands meanwhile were tracing circles on her knees as she rested her chin on his shoulders with her eyes closed, just absorbing his nearness. 

"Marry me." He suddenly asked. 

"What?" Her eyes popped open, her body almost sliding down the tub in surprise. 

"Marry me." He repeated, as he turned his head towards her. 

"Ximen…" 

"I love you." He continued as he moved the both of them so she was now kneeling in front of him, between his legs. 

"I…" she couldn't speak. 

"And I know you still love me." His eyes dared hers to contradict him. 

"What makes you so sure?" she finally managed to ask, her heart beating loudly inside her chest. 

He didn't answer at first. 

Instead, he picked up her hands and laid it on the left side of his chest, just where his heart should be. "You love me." He repeated slowly, certainty evident in his tone. "I know because I feel it." 

She didn't speak. She couldn't. 

"I knew it six years before. I knew it three months ago. And I knew it three days ago." 

"But you left…" she whispered. 

"I left because I made a mistake." He answered. "I made the mistake of doubting what it was that I felt. But not again. Never again." He said the last two words emphatically. 

She swallowed convulsively, not moving. 

"Marry me." He said the words once again. Not asking, but rather, willing her to say yes. 

"Why?" she finally managed to ask. Not really knowing what it was she was asking for. 

"Why?" he too asked. 

"Why do you love me?" She realized what it was she wanted to know at last. 

He gave a humorless laugh and closed his eyes briefly. He knew that his answer would either make or break him and he'd never felt more nervous in his entire life. 

"I don't love you because you're beautiful, although you are." He began. "And I don't love you because you're a successful businesswoman now, evenhough you really make me proud. And I don't love you because you're smart, though I know that for a fact. Nor do I love you because I know that you value your family and friends. And even as the knowledge that you bore me a child made me love you even more, that isn't the reason either why I fell for you. I love you because…" 

"Stop…" she choked on the word as she moved her left hand from his chest to his mouth. 

But he clasped her hand and moved it off his lips as he continued anyway, 

"I love you for no other reason than that you're you." 

"Ximen…" 

"I love you just because..." His eyes pleaded with her to believe him. 

The tears she was unaware she'd been holding back suddenly fell. She felt overwhelmed. 

"I just do." He said over and over again. 

Until finally she whispered, "Yes." 

"Yes?" he asked as his heart started beating quite heavily in his chest. 

"Yes, I'll marry you." 

"You will?" his words held a hint of wonder, as though quite unable to believe she had just said yes. 

She nodded just before she launched herself into his arms. "And I love you too," she added softly to his ear. 

It was just too bad that she'd hugged him when she did and so wasn't able to see his face. 

Because if she could, she would have seen how her words had affected him. 

She would have seen that just like her, he too had started to cry. 

But neither really cared anymore. 

They were finally together. 

Again. 

It was enough. 

*** 


	18. my baby love

Chapter 18. my baby love 

A/N: I do not own MG and its characters. 

***  
"Ximen…" Xiao You bit her lip, unsure of how to proceed. She didn't move from her perch on Ximen's lap while he sat on the couch in the living room. Shan Cai had just left for Taiwan a couple of hours ago after she realized that they'd made up. 

"Hmmm?" Ximen asked as he absently ran his right hand all over her thigh. His chin was resting on top of her head, his eyes closed. 

"Did you…uhm…notice anything different about me…" she trailed off as she wondered why she was finding it hard to just go ahead and say what she had to say. 

"Different?" He didn't know what she meant. The truth was he really couldn't think because he was just a bit sleepy. He hadn't been sleeping too well eversince she'd left him months before. He supposed his body finally acknowledged its state of tiredness now that she was finally in his arms. 

"Yes, different…" she repeated. She thought about taking his hand and placing it on her tummy but she couldn't make herself move to do so. She looked up and realized that he was starting to nod off. He looked tired. 

"Diff…" he didn't even get to finish the word. 

Xiao You sighed. Well, he was here to stay anyway, so she could probably tell him tomorrow. She started to move off him but even asleep, his arms tightened around her, unwilling to give her up. Which was fine by her. She wanted to sleep in his arms anyway. 

*** 

Somewhere in France. 

"What are you doing?" Lei asked his wife as she wrapped her arms around him from behind. He was only wearing his pajama bottoms as he ladled the soup he'd managed to cook them at her apartment's kitchen. 

"Feeling the cook…" she trailed off , "…and tasting him…" she continued as she dropped a small kiss on his nape. "Mmm…yummy…" 

He shivered as he felt her tongue on his skin. "You're going to make me drop the soup…" he warned her. 

"And I care because…?" she teased him, undaunted by his warning. 

"We haven't eaten in hours…" he complained plaintively although he dropped the ladle back into the pot and placed the cup he'd been holding in his other hand back onto the counter. 

She didn't bother to answer him. Instead she dragged him towards the wall and pressed herself onto him. 

"Jing…" he couldn't help the physical reaction her actions had elicited in him. 

"Hmmm?" she mumbled as she dropped light, nibbling kisses down his throat, while her hands busied themselves with unbuttoning the pajama top she was wearing. 

"I…" Lei couldn't continue. He wondered briefly if he'd managed to turn the stove off before she'd distracted him but couldn't for the life of him remember. Jing had finished unbuttoning her top and had just stepped closer to him so he could feel every curve and contour of her body as they fit perfectly against his. 

"You…" she continued to tease him as she skimmed her fingers down the sides of his body and ever so gently slid them inside the waistband of his pajamas. 

Lei seemed to suddenly come to his senses and before she could even react, he'd already carried her and had her sitting on the kitchen counter near the sink. She squealed as he stepped in between her thighs, the pajama top already off her shoulders and pooling by her hips. 

He looked up and met her mischievous gaze with an equally mischievous one of his own and slowly, gently, he poked his tongue out... 

…and licked. 

She gasped at the contact and pulled him even closer… 

*** 

Xiao You slowly came to awareness with the feel of Ximen's lips nuzzling her neck. She arched her head unconsciously to accommodate him and couldn't help the moan that escaped her lips. She shifted from her perch and her eyes shot open when she felt him. 

In all his aroused glory. 

"Ximen…" she began but was cut off by his lips. 

"Shh…" he whispered when he lifted his mouth briefly off hers to breathe. His eyes were open and he looked at her as though he was trying to absorb her very essence. 

"Uhmmm…" she didn't know what she was supposed to say. She could only gasp as he shifted her so that her butt pressed even more firmly over his manhood. 

"Uhuh…" was all he could say. Somehow, three layers of clothes didn't even seem enough to prevent him from feeling her heat. 

Without any words spoken between them, they understood what to do. Almost in synchrony, they both moved so that she ended up with her legs on either side of his hips, her knees digging in on the couch, with his hands on either side of her waist. She wrapped her arms around his neck just as he moved his head so they could kiss. 

It was a kiss of intense heat. 

So intense in fact, that they both started sweating despite the air-conditioner setting being at it coldest. 

Ximen's hands moved upwards taking her shirt along with it and they broke apart so he could take it completely off and throw it behind her. He then shifted them so she lay on her back on the couch, her torso bare, wearing only her panties. He then quickly took his own shirt off and followed her down to lie on top of her. Then they were kissing again and he moved his hands downwards towards her thighs so he could fit himself better in between them. 

They both groaned as her heat met his hardness. 

They both gasped as she pressed herself even closer, her breasts scraping against his bare chest. 

His lips moved from her lips to her chin, then sideways towards her throat. She arched and pressed the back of her head on the couch's armrest to give him better access. He took advantage almost immediately and found himself nipping at the area where her pulse throbbed heavily. She moaned at the feel of his tongue as he soothed the area where he bit her and she couldn't help but rake her fingernails down his back when he moved even lower, his lips hovering over her breasts. 

Her sudden intake of breath sounded loudly as he bent to take her into his mouth. She couldn't stop her hands from moving from his back to his head, not quite sure whether she wanted to pull him off or push her closer to her. He prevented her from taking action though by moving one of his hands to anchor one of her legs over his hips. They both panted as the movement pressed his hardness over her own source of heat. So close he didn't even know where his body ended and hers began. 

"Off…" she muttered inelegantly as she sought to pull his boxers off him. 

"Uhmm…" his voice was muffled as he clumsily tried to push the waistband of her panties down her hips. 

"Now…" she gasped as they both lay bare over each other. 

"Yes…" He mumbled just before he moved to join them together. 

The sheer intensity of their connection stilled their movements for a while as both of them struggled to take in all the feelings rioting inside each of them. He stopped to gaze intently into her eyes and she swore she could almost feel herself drown in its depths. 

"I love you…" he managed to whisper before that nameless force inside him took over and impelled him to move. 

She couldn't even manage a response. 

She just met him. 

Thrust by thrust. 

Up and down. 

At each crest… 

and each trough. 

In every high… 

and every low. 

Until... 

their feelings coalesced… 

and with hands entwined… 

they found... 

... 

... 

... 

bliss. 

*** 

"Not fair…" Jing managed to croak right after. They were now sprawled over the kitchen floor. 

"You started it…" he reminded her in a not-so-steady voice. 

She sighed. "I think I scratched my butt…" she complained as she turned to her side to inspect the damage. 

He mustered enough strength to move and turned her over his lap. "Nope…all clear…" he pronounced. 

She should have felt awkward, lying as she was all bare with her behind exposed to his gaze, but she wasn't. She smiled at him as she turned sideways and supported her head with her hand on her chin and her elbows digging on the floor. 

"Lei…" 

"Yes?" he answered, his hand absently smoothing her butt. 

"What if I get pregnant?" she asked idly. 

He looked stunned for a minute before he broke into a wide smile, pushed her gently off his lap and crawled towards her. He then slid his hand on her nape and brought her face closer to his. 

Then he whispered, 

"I can't wait…" 

*** 

It took quite a while before their heartbeats slowed… 

before their thoughts could form… 

before their bodies could settle… 

Xiao You thought it couldn't be any more intense than it had been before. 

Ximen thought it couldn't be any more intoxicating than it had been before. 

They were both wrong. 

"Was it just me or did we actually feel the earth move?" she teased him, her voice coming out hoarsely. 

"Oh I don't know…I thought maybe that was off the Richter scale…" he laughed weakly as he shifted both of them so she lay on top, her body half over him, half on the couch. 

They both sighed. 

"Ximen…" 

"Hmm?" 

Xiao You knew it was time. She slowly caught one of his hands in hers and moved it downwards… 

towards her tummy. 

Her slightly bulging tummy. 

Then she looked up and met his questioning gaze. 

Ximen looked at her in confusion, struggling to comprehend what it was she was trying to tell him. He moved his palm over the area and finally felt the bulge. His hand tightened briefly over her stomach and he quickly looked down to verify what his sense of touch had told him. 

"Xiao You…?" he asked as he stared back into her eyes. 

She bit her lip and waited. 

A heartbeat later… 

"Are you…" He couldn't continue. Emotions he'd thought were already settled, bubbled and rioted inside of him unbidden and his heart started beating quite loudly once again. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? 

She nodded her head slowly, fearfully, unsure of what his reaction was going to be. 

He looked stunned! 

And then, like a ray of light shining through the clouds, his surprise gave way to a smile. 

A smile so bright, she couldn't help but give him one of her own. 

Then, 

ever so gently, 

he turned her on her back. 

And slowly, he moved... 

downwards… 

until finally, 

tenderly… 

he bent down and dropped a kiss… 

lightly, 

fleetingly… 

there… 

just there, 

just over where their baby was growing inside her. 

Xiao You's eyes couldn't help but tear up at the picture he made... 

as with eyes equally misty as hers, he opened his mouth to speak. 

Or at least, he tried to. 

But he never quite managed it. 

So instead, he sat up and lifted her up towards him and hugged her. 

Tightly. 

He burrowed his head into her neck. But still, he couldn't say anything. At least, not out loud. 

But he was thanking the heavens silently. 

For giving her back to him. 

For giving him another chance. 

For making all of his dreams come true. 

And for showing him, 

…that despite everything he'd done wrong in the past… 

…he'd been forgiven… 

…and saved. 

FIN 

***  
 


	19. what happens next

The (Real) Epilogue: what happens next 

A/N: Anything from Meteor Garden you recognize, I do not own. 

*** 

It was a wedding straight out of a romance novel. 

The bride was barefoot as was the groom. 

She looked like a gypsy, clad as she was in white cotton shift, her unbound hair blowing gently in the wind, with a posy of white calla lilies in her hands. Little pearls, woven through her tresses, gleamed brightly in the sun. 

He looked like a chinky-eyed Indian prince in a loose white kurtah and matching cotton drawstring pants that flapped gently in the wind. His long hair was tied back and the rim of his glasses gleamed brightly in the sun. 

The wedding entourage was similarly clad in loose white cotton frocks and matching polo shirts and pants. 

The sea was a picture of calm and serenity, reflecting the fading light of the sun as it made its way slowly to the west, and the sky was like an artist's palette, a mix of hazy blues, oranges, pinks, and purples. 

She looked up at him. He looked down at her. With hands entwined they said their vows as their matching rings glowed, warmed by the sun. 

And then they kissed. 

Sweetly. 

Softly. 

Intently. 

As though the act itself was a vow. 

A promise. 

A pledge. 

And just like all weddings before it, they faced the crowd as one. 

*** 

Xiao You couldn't take it anymore. She screamed. 

Ximen winced as he took in his wife's curses, which were all directed at him. 

It was good thing she was too weak from 'pushing' otherwise his fingers would have ended up all broken and useless. A part of him wished he could bear the pain for her, but then a larger part of him was glad men didn't have to go through this. "Just a little bit more baby…" he offered lamely. 

"Oh God Ximen! I can't…it's…aaargh!! *@$%^*&#@($%!" Xiao You was incoherent by the end of her last push. 

"Just one more push Xiao You. I can see the head crowning…" the doctor's soothing voice came through over her mask. 

"Come on baby…one…two…." 

Xiao You bit her lip, gave one more push and… 

"Congratulations! You have a baby girl!" 

*** 

"Dad, I'm going out with Xiao You, Jing and Xiaoqiao okay?" Shan Cai shouted from downstairs. 

"Where are the four of you going?" Ximen's stern voice filtered through from the master's bedroom. 

"Daaad!" Ximen Shan Cai complained loudly. "We're attending Lei's recital." 

"What time will you be home?" 

Shan Cai rolled her eyes at her father's words. "They're bringing me home." She called out, not bothering to answer her father's question directly. 

"Okay baby, take care okay? Tell your aunts and uncles we'll see them this weekend." Xiao You's voice called out in answer over Ximen's muffled voice. "Oh and wish Lei good luck for us…" she added. 

"Yes Ma!" Shan Cai replied airily just before the front door closed with a bang. 

"I swear Xiao You, you are so lenient with her." Ximen complained after he'd removed his wife's hand from his lips. 

Xiao You laughed at her husband's disgruntled expression. "She's going out with our friends' children." 

"That's what I'm afraid of." Ximen shuddered. He still couldn't get over the fact that their only daughter …their 16-year-old daughter for that matter, was staying out late much like he and his friends had when they were that age. The Gods were surely punishing F4 by giving all four of them girls. Girls, who, to their fathers' collective chagrin, behaved exactly like they did when they were young. 

"Lei's with them." Xiao You pointed out, referring to the only thorn among the roses, Ah Si and Shan Cai's son, Lei, who much to his parents' everlasting relief, acted much like the older man after whom he was named. 

"Why couldn't our daughter have taken after you instead of me?" Ximen sighed as he sat down heavily on the bed. 

Xiao You grinned secretly just before she sat down on her husband's lap and wrapped her arms around him. Even after 17 years of marriage, he still managed to light her fires even when he's frowning and being such a worrywart. She decided to tease him further. 

"Ah…but if she'd taken after me, she might just do what I did and ask the love of her life for the 'full service'," she whispered to his ear. 

Ximen froze. "Oh God!" 

*** 

"Lei…" Jing called out from the bathroom. 

No response. 

"Lei…" she called out again. 

Still no response. 

Jing hurriedly wrapped herself in a towel and walked towards their bedroom to find her husband sound asleep by the bed. Jing sighed. And he'd promised her a backrub too! "Lei." She shook him awake. Despite years of trying to break him out of this habit, he still kept on falling asleep on her. "Lei, wake up!" She was so looking forward to some down time with him, especially so since their daughter Xiaoqiao, who always seemed to manage to conveniently knock on their bedroom door at the most inopportune moments, was out with friends. 

Nothing. 

Jing sighed heavily as she sat down next to her husband's prone figure. "Oh well…if you can't beat him…join him." She mentally shrugged. So what if it was still early in the afternoon? There was nothing to do anyway. She had just finished sliding inside the covers after getting rid of the towel when his hands suddenly snaked their way around her waist. 

"What do you think you're doing?" he whispered to her. 

"Sleeping?" she answered. 

"Uh uh…wrong answer…" he grinned just before he started kissing the daylights out of her. 

*** 

Dao Ming Lei stood by the wings waiting for his turn on the stage. Unlike his godfather, he'd chosen to play cello like his famous aunt, who was also his coach and mentor. He looked out and saw his parents and sister Xiao You in the crowd. With them, were his Uncle Mei Zhou and Auntie Xiaoqiao with their daughter Jing, as well as his sister's friends, Shan Cai and Xiaoqiao. Whatever their parents' traits were, creative hadn't been one of them, at least not as far as naming their children went. 

Not that he minded being named after his godfather really…but sometimes he felt funny about calling Shan Cai. It was like being disrespectful towards his mother. He sighed. Not that he wanted to call her mind you, because he didn't. 

It was more like the other way around actually. She was the one who was always calling him. 

He pretty much ignored her really. 

She was just his parents' friends' daughter after all. 

So what if she was so beautiful that she broke hearts here and there, just like her father had? 

He didn't care. 

Really. 

She was just one of his sister's best friends. 

Nothing more. 

Really. 

But still… 

…

…

…

FIN (really) 


End file.
